Believe, Realize, Reason
by OpposingForce
Summary: Long story short, it's a time period after the C.E 71 war where everyone has their reflections and new life as high school students. Will love bloom in their lives? KL, AC, DM, YzakShiho, ShinnStellar, ShaniLunamaria, StellarShaniLunamaria, and more.
1. Desperate Recovery

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_Chapter 1: Desperate Recovery_

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts

Scene Changes are listed in bolded italic brackets

Summary: Basically the Seed and Seed Destiny crew enjoys life after the war and romance blooms between them but of course many trials happen between them in order to succeed. This involves high school, military, and adulthood life scenarios. A -Not ranked in importance- KiraLacus, AthrunCagalli, DearkaMiriallia, YzakOC, ShinnStellar, ShaniLunamaria, and CrotMeyrin fic.

_**AN: I am OpForce, a very dedicated Naruto fanfic writer who is not as dedicated as he used to be (Some introduction I gotten myself into). To those readers who actually read or who are reading myNaruto fic Downfall of the Light trilogy, I will apologize right now since Chapter 7 of my work is not complete yet. More or less, I am going to postpone it since my creativity level is rather low. So, instead of me desperately trying to get a plot while sitting endless hours in front of my damned computer screen, I figured out that I would rather make good use of my time and try out another fiction.**_

**_As the summary says, Shani and Crot are alive –because I love their character. So in this story, Yzak would not be as cool as having the honours of wiping out Forbidden and Raider but I suppose that wouldn't matter too much –unless you really loved Yzak for doing that. I will say this, Shani and Crot are very vital in my story and it will become more vivid as the story progresses. I know Rey isn't here, well, that's because I don't like him very much… he doesn't really do anything in Destiny and I have been trying real hard to understand his character. So instead of me struggling to put him somewhere, I simply made him not exist in my story as if he was never born. If you want to rant to me about it and insist that I add him, I will take your words into consideration._**

_**At the same time, all the characters are just one year apart. I want the age difference to be around equal with another so the Destiny characters' ages would be around 16 to 17. Simply, you could just make everyone's ages into Destiny's timeline. Without further adieu, let's get on with this chapter… **_

**_(During that day when both sides declared the ceasefire)_**

Things have certainly not been the same ever since the war between Naturals and Coordinators ended. This went both ways. The good news would be that PLANT and Earth were finally beginning some peace negotiating treaties and protocols so such meaningless violence would not have to happen again. Was it a solid foundation though? Not really, but it was definitely better than nothing at all. What needed to be done now was for both sides to show dedication and effort to keep this treaty alive or the world would fall into another deep realm of chaos. Everyone assumed that they would do their best and hopefully such disaster would be avoided. Although that may be the good news to everything -or at least somewhat- the negative side of the war ending was no doubt immense.

As far as anyone could remember, this war used up many people's lives. Even neutral countries or colonies who may not have participated in the war suffered. How, you ask? When there were wars, everyone got affected. The World Wars were like that and these ones with advanced technology were different. To be accurate, it was due to these high tech machineries that more people ended up being killed. Not only did they lose their families, they also lost their homes, their jobs, friends, and much more.

Not only did they lose a lot, many survivors became traumatized or insane. Who could blame them after witnessing their loved ones being blown up by bombs everyday? To make things more sadistic than it already was, after making a new friend to help maintain their sanity… those new friends got gunned down by assault rifles the very next day, or perish very ungracefully in a Mobile Suit battle. Some of them may have been killed by a railgun at the cockpit; it was not as if it wasn't a likely possibility. It was extremely difficult for anyone to remain in tact after witnessing these unjustifiable actions. If committing suicide was not the ultimate sin for their soul to be damned to hell, they would've done it a long time ago.

The suffering applied to the survivors at the final battle, too, especially Kira Yamato, Athrun Zala, Cagalli Yula Attha, Lacus Clyne, Dearka Elthman, Miriallia Haww, and Yzak Jule. They have survived it but obviously not very gracefully.

For the first time in a long while, Athrun actually sat down somewhere and thought all the losses he had faced up to this point. There was Rusty, Miguel, and especially Nicol. Nothing that he did could bring them back and he valued them like brothers. Taking look at the picture when their squad became an official team not long before the attack on Heliopolis, the Justice pilot's eyes began to water, he never believed that he would miss them so much.

Rusty was his roommate and a good friend. They've gone through thick and thin during the days in the military along with Yzak, Dearka, and Nicol. Sometimes, if Rusty wasn't there to give him the encouragement that he needed to strive for better, he would not have been where he was now. Recalling more memories from the past, his heart soon pained another notch when he finally remembered the last time he saw Rusty. What made Athrun disgusted at himself was that he didn't do a thing to help him after Rusty got shot after giving off suppressing fire. What did he do after screaming his name? He headed off towards the Aegis Gundam and hijacked it leaving Miguel to deal with Strike Gundam. Of course, he never intended to leave Rusty behind like this but after the colony itself collapsed, no one inside would be left alive.

Miguel, his second mistake during the same day, not only did he allow him to attempt to take out Strike Gundam, Miguel gave it a shot twice. The first time he was lucky that Strike had no Striker-Packs on and only ended up self-detonating his GINN. However, Athrun wanted to slam his fist at anything when Miguel took on the Gundam again with proper equipment. Anyone would know that a sword versus a thermal energy weapon is a given disadvantage. Undoubtedly –although Athrun wish it never happened- his mentor was killed right in front of his eyes by his best friend. Two losses in one day; that was not how things should've went.

Cagalli had her own reasons to grieve, Athrun knew better than to bother her. Who was anyone kidding, they all needed their own space. Two major events, or three rather, became the most significant during this war. The first would be when she found Strike in complete ruins and Kira was nowhere to be found. For any normal human being to witness such circumstances, Cagalli truly believed Kira was killed. That was when she met Athrun again with some unexpected results. She didn't want to fully remember what happened since she recalled being very harsh and practically blamed Athrun for Kira's death. Pointing a gun at her lover wasn't something any girl should be proud of doing. Correction, if anyone had a conscience, they wouldn't do such a thing.

Although she didn't want to remember anymore depressing memories, her mind suddenly darted to another topic. Orb, her home and the dawn of where her tragedies continued...

Cagalli remembered what Kira and Athrun discussed during one of their battles to defend Orb from the Earth Atlantic Federation. Three new models, they said, and Cagalli finally met them face to face on the battleground during the battle around Genesis. Despite the Genesis combat was where she nearly lost her life against Forbidden Gundam, the significance of it was no match to what she faced before she was forced to launch out into space. Her father was gone; he sacrificed himself hoping that the war would end sooner. Up to this day, Cagalli believed that it should've been her that remained and allowed her father to live. She didn't deserve to live after being such a rebellious child that caused him nothing but torment in his family life. Cagalli should've died nobly to serve Orb but grieve only came as of result.

The final battle at Genesis was one of the first times that Cagalli felt enraged. After seeing her two friends Asagi, Juri being killed in front of her eyes, that was the moment she went Berserk and broke her shackles from reaching the maximum. Cagalli could not truly remember the impulse or satisfaction of breaking her Seed for it was only a short moment, everything seemed to be in a wildfire at that time. However, thinking of the war again only depressed her further.

**_(Meanwhile)_**

Cagalli looked out the window again for the third time today, all she could witness was the vast emptiness of space. Somehow, her mind thought about what she witnessed as she docked back on Archangel in her Strike Rouge Gundam –with the remains of Kira's Gundam, Freedom. There were four suits on board before hers, the nearly destroyed Buster Gundam, Duel Gundam with Strike's shield, and two of the EAF's newest models. Kagari did not even know the names of those suits until Athrun told her they were Forbidden and Raider. What the Orb Princess wondered was why those suits were here.

Also, she was still pondered about the offer Captain Ramius and Kisaka suggested earlier. It wasn't just sudden; it was overwhelming.

Instead of going back to Orb to deal with all the political matters that her father left behind, Kisaka and the high Orb counsels decided to take matters into their own hands. Of course, what Kisaka was trying to say was Cagalli and the rest of the youths should now be enjoying their life instead of worrying so much. Wars were not intended to get people at the adolescent age to get involved yet this war had dragged many people in that category to participate. Most of them ended up losing their lives due to the lack of experience.

Cagalli did not know if she wanted to simply enjoy life when so many things were left unattended –which may need her desperate attention on. Not only did she feel guilty for giving all the work to Kisaka and the rest of the most trusted members of Orb, she felt there was a sense of obligation for her to be present. That she shouldn't leave. That she shouldn't be selfish. That she was responsible for some of the tragic things to happen. That by taking initiative again would compensate her previous weakness. When guilt became an evident source of emotion in the blond princess, she would do anything to diminish it. The only way possible now was to negotiate a compromise in the most persistent and reasonable manner.

Kisaka argued that all the teens here never had a chance to be youths, and while it still wasn't too late, why not go out and cherish it? Eventually, things would be back to normal again and who knew when they would experience such freedom again? Kisaka guaranteed that this would be a great time to cherish one another, and more than likely to be one of the most memorable times that Cagalli would ever face. Initially, this plan was for any emotional healing that the youths may need but at the same time another reason could justify. Was it convincing enough to persuade the Orb princess? Kisaka would consider his words very legitimate for Cagalli was actually considering –which was very, very rare.

After some time considering her options, Cagalli decided to stay with the gang and possibly take some delight in any of the plans Kisaka or Ramius may have. Besides, what was there to lose? She would be living in an apartment with her good friends –especially Athrun-; do anything she wanted; eat anything she desired; and no one would be there to stop her. The Orb princess thought that kind of reality would only be in fantasy books or when people got high –she would believe that due to her royal status-, but it appeared it could truly happen after all. Still a little reluctant, she finally gave in. Murrue and Kisaka were happy for her decision, and that was when they told her everyone else chose the same choice; that made Cagalli's day a whole lot better.

Her mind instantly switched back to those two EAF mobile suits she saw earlier. Despite that she wanted to think of happy things, she cursed her mind for the incredible lack of flexibility. Curiosity took the better of her in a mere instant, and that was when she got up from her spot slowly and headed out of her room after locking herself in there for two hours. She needed answers and no one was going to stop her from achieving them.

Cagalli passed by the infirmary before reaching the mobile suit docks when her objective was to find Dearka or any other mobile suit pilots on board. However, her inquisitive nature just had to make her take one small glimpse of who were inside the medical chambers. Her golden eyes opened more widely when she saw two young males no older than herself were in pain and the specialists were trying to do anything they could do to help them. One had medium length wasabi green hair that covered his left eye and face, and the other one had blue eyes and orange hair combed into a comb-over. Before Cagalli took off, she winced when the doctors had no choice but to inject tranquillisers to force them to sleep. Although it was sick, they had no other options.

**_(At the Mobile Suit Docks)_**

"Athrun!" called Cagalli from a distance as she ran to him. Athrun- who was leaning on a wall with Dearka and Yzak- turned to face her. When the princess found out all the attention was on her, a sense of timidity reached her features.

"What is it?" asked the blue haired Coordinator as he took her hand to place her one foot closer than she intended, "Feeling better now?" Cagalli nodded to reply as Dearka grinned with slight relief. Yzak, on the other hand, watched Cagalli with some fascination. She wasn't bad looking, had very sincere eyes, and that voice she carried just now had a touch of toughness and affection. No wonder that Zala had feelings for her, Athrun's tastes were always so formidable, as Yzak would say.

"Athrun…" began the "older" twin –she refused to believe she was the younger one where as Kira would have seriously cared less, "Why are those Mobile Suits there?" She then pointed at Forbidden and Raider, Athrun, Yzak, and Dearka frowned at that instant.

"They more or less had no place to go after Dominion was destroyed," Athrun told her softly but definitely loud enough so Dearka and Yzak could hear as well. He wouldn't want them to believe this soon became a private conversation; that would not be too considerate. "The green one crashed landed into the Archangel's launching ramps and we forcefully took him in, while the black one was out of power. So Yzak and Dearka managed to bring him in too."

"Isn't it dangerous though?" questioned Cagalli somewhat worried.

"Hey," intervened Yzak with a scoff, "I suggested to destroy that black one but suddenly it was no longer moving. I refuse to sink that low to shoot something defenseless." Dearka and Athrun –who had known the Duel Pilot for quite a while- only stared at him with the most disbelieving eyes. The gray hair Coordinator couldn't help but feel awkward. To make it worse, those two idiots were scarring his image to Cagalli when this was their first encounter.

"Who are you?" asked Dearka to Yzak as his eyes began to observe whether this Yzak was a cyborg or a very effective –or possibly defective- clone, "What have you done to Yzak?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Dearka?" shouted the Duel Pilot hastily, "Is this all the thanks I get for saving your blasted life out there?"

"I'm with Dearka," added Athrun with a smirk, "The Yzak Joule I know isn't someone honourable." Cagalli tried hard not to cough out a laugh, even Yzak knew the girl was laughing at him and with his former comrades. In other words, he had no allies.

"I was always honourable!" argued Yzak proudly and defensively, "As a soldier, honour is vital in my code of conduct." The other two Coordinators merely raised a brow of distrust. "How dare you two not believe me!"

"We believe you," the Buster pilot told his friend flatly but Yzak knew his mockery.

"See," said Yzak as if he was trying to prove a thesis in an essay, "You two are jerks. At least this girl isn't like that." He then turned to face Cagalli, the Orb princess flinched lightly when she noticed that long scar across his right face. Not only was it creepy, it was intimidating. "I will introduce myself, I am Yzak Joule, former teammates with those two… jerks in ZAFT." Cagalli –again- tried not to laugh at his reference for her friends.

"I am Cagalli Yula Attha," replied the blond girl smiling lightly as she shook his hand, "It's good to know that you saved Dearka out there. We really wouldn't have known what to do without him…"

"You are giving this guy too much credit," Yzak said giving a small glance at Dearka –who was still smirking- before he faced the princess again, "You really don't know some of his immoral secrets, do you? I will say this, you have only seen his good side." The Orb princess suddenly was amused, she certainly wanted to know what those secrets were. Curiosity was a natural human emotion after all, and at the same time it was a powerful driving force in her life. Hearing that, the blond Coordinator instantly began to panic.

"What could that be?" pleaded the girl excitedly as she noticed the desperate look on the tanned boy's face. Just as Yzak was about to say the words that would destroy Dearka's dignity forever, his mouth was closed forcefully as Dearka's palm covered it therefore Yzak's sentence turned into a groaning muffle. Cagalli frowned with disappointment as the Duel Pilot flailed his arms frantically hoping to get free. Athrun Zala was watching all this with raw entertainment, what an event after the war this was!

"You said you would never speak of this again, Yzak…" hissed the Buster pilot dangerously with a glint in his violet eyes. "Do you want me to tell the rest of the world what kind of you-know-what you were when you were in the military?" The Justice Pilot choked instantly when he recalled that memory, during the war he nearly forgotten about it. Cagalli once again awaited with high hopes when she found Yzak cold sweating with pure fear, there were so much knowledge that she had been lacking all this time. Why didn't Athrun ever tell her that his friends were such jokers? She really liked this indeed.

"Fine!" shouted Yzak as he shoved Dearka away momentarily, "I won't spill it…" Then he gave a silent glare at his friend, "If you are willing to keep your mouth shut about my… you know…" Dearka immediately nodded with a calm look, of course he wouldn't try to be intimidated by him. Looks like Cagalli missed her round of entertainment but she was almost sure another scenario such as this would happen real soon.

"Where's Kira?" asked Cagalli changing the subject, "Has any one of you seen him?" Yzak's previous nicer self suddenly turned into a small scowl, it appeared the Duel Pilot still had a slight grudge over Kira after all this time.

"He's here somewhere," replied Athrun with a hint of worry. "He should be okay…"

"What's wrong, Athrun?"

"Nothing…" the emerald eyed Coordinator insisted trying to be as convincing as possible but he failed quite badly. Cagalli refused to let this thing to slide and be forgotten that simply, she demanded answers.

"Tell me, Athrun," she ordered lowly, "What's wrong with Kira?"

"He's been sitting alone in his room after he had rested," said the blue haired Coordinator.

"So, what's wrong with that?" Cagalli asked not seeing this as a problem, "My little brother just needs some time alone after the war. It was quite devastating to the emotional department, you know."

"That's not it, Cagalli," the blond pilot cut in, "He's not just sitting there… he's playing something at the same time… and what worries me is that Lacus-san is with him while watching him do whatever he is doing."

"What is this thing that you are referring to, Dearka?" the Orb princess inquired still not fully grasping what he was trying to elaborate to her.

"It's a portable game console," Athrun said in Dearka's behalf, "I have no idea where he found it but he has been sitting in his room the entire time playing some stupid game where he is a scout plane while destroying massive fortresses. He calls it "The Boss"." For someone who never played a game system in her life, that phrase seemed so foreign to her. "What I am trying to say is," continued Athrun, "Your older… no, little brother has been just playing it non-stop as if it is his life. He hasn't left the room for food, water, or even going to the bathroom when he needs to go… something is really wrong with him."

"I will get some sense into him," Cagalli stated as she pulled up her right sleeve but Athrun halted her.

"Lacus will do that, I don't think that you should interfere."

"You still have that much faith in her, Athrun?" Yzak asked with distinct doubt in the Haro lover's abilities.

"There is no one else that I can count on to help Kira…" whispered the Justice Pilot sadly as a response. Yzak silenced himself immediately with both a frustrated and helpless look. The remaining three also decided to remain quiet as the silent aura among them drove them deeper to their worries. Although the war may be over, the emotional damages still remained in their hearts. The four youths wondered if their wounds would ever heal.

**_(On the day when Archangel arrived on Kyoto, Japan –which is 3 days after the war ended)_**

He didn't know how long he had slept for but he had to admit that this was one of the greatest rest he had in like… forever, actually. Ever since he and his other two friends joined the EAF, life was no different to a living hell. They were young, skilled at mischief, had so much potential, zealous, and it was no wonder why Murata Azrael selected them to be his guinea pigs. He seriously thought joining the army was the best way to survive in a war but that soon turned into a living nightmare when they figured out what kind of person Azrael really was.

He didn't want to remember him, or the treatments those doctors gave him and his friends when they failed their tasks. The cold faces, the monotones, the harsh punishments, lack of basic respect, he just wanted to banish all those things to the ends of the earth. Despite his wretched nature, he was a human being and not a biological living CPU for any mobile suit. There were times that he wanted to cry but he was taught that soldiers endured everything given to them. If they succeeded under such trials and circumstances, they were real soldiers and considered a man. However, there were plenty of times that he nearly broke that rule but yet it was so hard to maintain calm.

Just before he woke up, he remembered that the Gripheptan's effect had worn out and there was no supply of antidote. Then how on earth did he not experience any pain from the side effects? The only conclusion he made was that he had been out for enough days for the side effects to pass but then another thing struck him, how long had he been out for? Not taking another moment to think, he instantly sat up and opened his eyes. The first thing that he saw struck him in the face… this was the exact same room that they were designated to stay when he was still on Dominion. However, the wall colour of this room was blue where as the other was white. What in the hell was going on?

"You're awake," said someone from his right that caught his attention immediately.

"Crot…"

"I was wondering when you were going to get your ass up, Shani," said Crot with a calm grin. Shani noticed that he was no longer in his white spacesuit but rather he was wearing a white T-shirt with a pair of blue track pants. Crot was wearing something like him too but his shirt was yellow. One thing was for certain, where the hell were they?

"Where are we?" asked the wasabi green hair natural as he stretched his arm to regain his strength, "Where's Oruga?" It was that moment when Crot's face fell a little, Shani quickly realized what that meant. "You don't mean…"

"Yeah," said Crot no louder than a whisper, "Oruga's dead…"

"How is that possible!" cried the usually very quiet Shani, "He has a Gundam though…"

"Hey," retorted the brash Crot, "Even our suits are not invincible, Oruga must have had an accident out there when we weren't looking…"

"Yeah…" said Shani not knowing what to say as a matter of fact. He was never too close with Oruga for he always preferred to be isolated and alone. At the same time, his heart did hurt a little when someone he knew personally was no longer with them after all they had been through as soldiers or as friends. Was this what wars did to people each day? Shani and Crot were somehow disgusted at themselves that they fought war for the reason of "To kill or be killed".

Crot remembered asking whoever was piloting that red suit about his persistence, but when that same question was asked right back, he didn't know how to answer. Somehow, he wanted to know his answer, he wanted to wonder why that sole reason had made them so strong.

Much to his dismay, the Raider pilot's thoughts were interrupted when someone came in. Judging from the uniform, she was the Captain. Two seconds later, two other doctors entered with her and these medical specialists looked nothing like the ones that were responsible for their health.

"It's good that you two are awake," said Murrue Ramius in a kind voice –which Natarle lacked when she talked to them but she was very considerate as a Captain. "I am Murrue Ramius, Captain of the Archangel." Hearing that, Shani and Crot flinched significantly. They seriously did not expect that they were on an enemy ship and definitely not this one. Azrael had ordered them to destroy this battleship a long time ago and up to this date they still have not been able to complete that task. What an unexpected turn of events this was.

Although Crot wanted to leap out of his bed and attack Murrue, Shani gave him a warning glare silently telling him to drop it. As far as Shani was concerned, this was the enemy ship and Archangel would know who they belonged to as well. With the fine line indicated that he was an enemy, Archangel had the right to execute them right there and then when they were found. Yet, they didn't just kill them but instead they nursed them back to health. Shani did not have the heart nor the physical strength to pick on any unnecessary fights, and he made sure Crot did not start anything stupid nor retarded.

"Why?" asked Shani suddenly catching Murrue off guard, "Why did you save us?"

"You didn't want to be saved?" questioned the Archangel Captain still in a friendly serene voice.

"It's not that…"

"Then what?" she inquired with a smile.

"We are from Dominion," Crot spoke in a defensive tone of voice, "Men that are under Director Murata Azrael's command, pilots of those three suits, and most importantly we are the enemy. Aren't you people afraid that we may just kill you right now and take over this ship? Has your kind natures clouded your judgment?"

"I don't think you would do that," replied Murrue casually with confidence.

"You want me to try it?" the Raider pilot said while smirking darkly. The men behind Murrue instantly tensed up cautiously but the Captain told them to drop it. Just when Crot was about to leap at them, he stopped when he saw that warm smile that was still stained on the Captain's visage. The expression she displayed that showed nothing but peacefulness, Crot just couldn't make a move.

"If you seriously were thinking of hijacking this ship, you wouldn't have said anything and just attacked us as we entered," Murrue told him softly, "Why bother giving your enemy a time to prepare when the element of surprise is the key to achieve victory? That is how I know you have no intention to do something that reckless." That statement silenced Crot, Shani just smirked at this Captain's logic. Unlike Natarle, Murrue cared a lot about human emotions where Natarle only considered about rules and regulations. "As for your question, Shani Andras, I wanted to save you two because I don't want to see another person die anymore… the war took many people already, and I am sure your parents do not want their child to perish, right? If there is one less family crying over their loved ones, that's more than enough…"

"Thank you… Captain-Ramius…" said Shani not knowing what else could possibly be said. Sure, he was stunned that a stranger cared that much about his well being yet there was a fact that Murrue did not fully know; Shani had no family, he had no where to go after this. Crot was no exception. Banishing all those negative thoughts out of his system, Shani prepared to ask the next question that he had for her but Crot beat him to it.

"Where are we anyway?" Crot asked with his voice no longer holding hostility or meanness.

"We are on the earth right now," replied Murrue, "Kyoto, Tokyo to be exact."

"Why are we here?" questioned the Forbidden pilot raising his right eye a little higher to make eye contact.

"I know this is sudden but we are obligated to find a place for all the youths under 18 a place to live until things begin to return back to normal. I do not know how long this may actually take but we need to find a solution to all this and the kids should not be involved after going through so much previously. Believe it or not, you two are also enlisted with them for now. You will be living with the youths on this ship or at least accompany them."

"What?" Crot shouted in disbelief, "We can't do that! They hate us! No, I refuse… thanks for doing all this for us but there is no possible way that we can ever associate with them!" Just to make his point more effective, Crot even used hand gestures –which the green haired natural thought it was unnecessary.

"They won't hate you, I promise," reassured the Captain, "Besides, all you need to do is go with them. It is really your choice whether you want to live with them later on. You are free to go wherever you want after that."

"Really?" the Raider pilot questioned with delight and hope, "That is it, I am ditching this joint!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" Shani spoke at that moment to send Crot's previous hopes to the dumps. No doubt the orange hair male was enraged.

"Why are you talking so much all of a sudden, Shani?" Crot snapped rudely and pointing a finger, "I liked you better when you were all quiet and creepy!" That easily resulted with a bored 'one-eyed' stare from Shani. Murrue really fought back a giggle while watching this display.

"You are not using your head, Crot," the Forbidden pilot stated with exasperation, "Where can we go with no jobs or even a place to live? We can't join the EAF again unless you want to experience all that trash, you got that? With no place to even sleep, how will we survive? This is our chance to live life right, we have to take it."

"But do you want this?"

"Despite how much I dislike this, we have to accept for there is no other way." Shani justified himself in the vaguest way possible. He really did not like to be so outspoken. Crot thought about it for a second and if Shani was going to agree with it, he might as well.

"Fine…" said Crot at last with a cautious glare, "But don't expect me to enjoy it though."

"We will try the best we can to make this all comfortable for you guys. We will also prepare you guys a small luggage so you have some necessities when you guys live together. Please remember to pick it up before you guys leave, okay?" When Shani and Crot nodded, Murrue and the two medics left the room to leave them to have more rest or some time alone. At that instant, Shani fell back onto his bed before closing his eyes as Crot did the same. A new chance to have a new life, the two of them truly wondered how that was like. Not knowing when their eyes closed completely, the duo drifted back to their slumber.

_**(Six hours later)**_

"When can we leave this place?" complained Yzak for the fifth time within half an hour, "If I knew that we were coming down to Earth, I would've never came here in the first place!" Athrun and Dearka groaned once again hearing that infernal protest, they had to find an alternative to pass their time. When Dearka spotted Miriallia, he quickly excused himself and approached the brown haired natural and began to have a conversation on a topic at complete random. When Miriallia noticed Dearka's approach, she smiled slightly as a welcome. Dearka scratched his head a little nervously before making a cheesy compliment about her hair today –when it looked the same as any other day. Miriallia eyed him suspiciously for a second before the Buster pilot stepped one foot to the right to reveal a ranting Yzak. The girl got the cue immediately before taking Dearka and herself to isolate from the Duel Pilot.

So, that just left Athrun, and damn hell he wish he was as smart as Dearka.

"I am sure that there were just delays," said Athrun trying to smile, "Remember, your mother wished that you would isolate yourself from the war matters for a while. You should see this optimistically..."

"That's what you said last time, Zala!" retorted Yzak, "I want to get off now!"

"I am sure you do…" Athrun said one last time with utmost exasperation. He had to get out of this or he would die from boredom and frustration, all he needed was an excuse, a good excuse. His prayers were answered when Lacus approached him. Athrun seriously believed that she would be the answer to relieve him from his eternal boredom but yet her saddened expression made his heart sank. When Yzak noticed Athrun was being surprisingly quiet, he turned slightly just to find the songstress was suddenly present but her depressed aura even managed to keep him silent. "Lacus…"

"Athrun," said the usually cheerful Lacus in a whimper, "Can you do me a favour?"

"Sure, anything," the Justice pilot told her sincerely, "Is it about Kira?"

"Yes…" she replied wanting to cry, "I don't know what to do anymore…" Being a good friend to the very least, Athrun pulled his ex-fiancee into a small hug as Yzak wisely gave them their space by leaving the scene. When the blue hair coordinator felt his chest a little bit warm, he could tell that the girl began to cry and tears soaked his jacket. All he did now was cradle Lacus a slightly before she stopped.

"It's okay, Lacus," Athrun told her as he whispered in her ear, "Don't cry, you can tell me everything…"

"I'm really worried about Kira…" she said in a sob, "He hadn't stopped playing that game yet, and he refused to talk to anyone… even Cagalli. I tried taking that thing away from him so I could do something but he reacted like a zombie afterwards…"

"Zombie?" questioned Athrun raising a brow somewhat shocked at Lacus' use of words to compare Kira to. "What do you mean by that?"

"He doesn't even form sentences any more, Athrun…" Lacus told him as she looked down to the ground, "I don't understand how he could ever turn out like this… what can I do?"

"The war must've done him more harm than I imagined…" the Justice pilot mumbled with frustration, "Don't worry, I will talk to him." That response seemed to brighten up the young pink haired princess –which made the green eyed coordinator very relieved. The last thing he wanted was someone making an emotional breakdown when he himself needed a time to reflect. Lacus' worries soon began to affect him without knowing, he seriously wondered what Kira was doing. As Athrun stroked Lacus' back soothingly like he did many times before when they were younger, Athrun smiled when he saw her lips curve back up into one like his. Frowning did not suit her, Athrun would admit that much. Like how he promised, he agreed to look for Kira.

_**(Meanwhile)**_

"It's not here…" moaned Crot in casual clothes instead of his uniform as he crawled into the Raider Gundam's cockpit as if he was raiding it. "I swear that I put it in here earlier." Shani was 12 meters below his friend while leaning on the elevation device dully. As the wasabi green haired natural scanned this vicinity, he was surprised it looked no different from Dominion. Judging from what his previous Captain told them once, this was an identical ship to the Dominion. Shani groaned once more before looking up.

"Maybe you crushed it accidentally while piloting it," said Shani loudly so Crot could hear him, "Maybe you're not very organized. You always misplace your stuff before, it's not surprising that you lost it."

"But that game console is my baby!" whined the Raider pilot as if he lost his golden treasure. Baby… what a bizarre connection of words Crot had. "I would never forget where it is!"

"That cockpit isn't that big," stated the Forbidden pilot rather dryly, "If it's not in there, it's not in there, okay?" To rub it in further, Shani placed the headphones into his ears before it started to play some random music that he loved and that smile would make anyone furious. Crot –on the other hand- had a sour look of envy since Shani found his possession while he had lost it forever. Giving out a grunt, he grabbed hold on the rope and slid back down to ground level.

"What should we do now?"

"Who knows," commented Shani as he stole glimpses everywhere for one second, "I suppose we could scout around to pass time and meet some people… it's better than just sitting here and not do anything…"

"I suppose you're right for once, Shani," Crot replied back with a smirk as they started walking away from the mobile suits. Shani only flashed a small stare before enjoying the melodious sound that was delivered to his eardrums. As Crot continued to rant about his game being lost, Shani simply nodded once in a while for the sake of his friend not going worse for a piece of machinery.

**_(At the exact moment)_**

"Kira," said Cagalli leaning closer to her brother so she could see more clearly. Whatever Kira was playing, Cagalli clearly did not find it interesting. How did anyone find satisfaction while shooting things in a world of fantasy? "Is it actually that fun? The game, I mean…"

"Yes…" the Freedom pilot replied with his voice plastered with no human emotions. If Cagalli could make a comparison, he was similar to a being where a wraith possessed his soul. As the girl observed his fingers, they were lifelessly moving to press the buttons. There was no sense of passion; no feelings of excitement; no signs that he was actually enjoying the game; no indication of desire; his fingers were just moving lacking a purpose; they just move without having the need to rest as if they were machines. "It's fun…"

"How is it fun?" questioned the blond twin while insisting to be persistent.

"It's just fun…" Kira said back as his violet eyes stared at the game screen more deeply. Cagalli fought very, very hard not to resort to violence.

Anyone who knew Cagalli up to this point knew she had a rather short temper. A simple yes was not considered a thoughtful response to the Orb princess. She was only trying to help her brother like any "big" sister would do and yet he was being so close minded while trying to establish this emotional barrier where no one could cross through. Just when Cagalli almost had enough of this, she took in a deep breath trying to remember why she was here. Lacus needed her assistance, and Cagalli also promised not to do anything drastic before she agreed. Yes, the princess would solve this peacefully while she could consider this as a challenge. However, that gloomy expression on Kira's face really tempted her to punch it. She would do anything to put some sense to him.

"Cagalli," the Orb princess heard someone calling her just now. Raising her head a little higher, she immediately smiled when she found out it was Athrun. At the same time, she instantly frowned when she saw Lacus with him. It wasn't like she was jealous of Lacus being close to Athrun, it was just her down expression easily drowned her spirits like a chain reaction. Nonetheless, Cagalli went up to them in a small jog while leaving her zombie-like brother at the bench as he continued to press buttons on the game system.

"Any progress?" asked Lacus to the Orb princess trying to sound hopeful and optimistic. Cagalli merely shook her head sadly thus Athrun and Lacus' previous happy thoughts vanished in an instant. "Oh, what can we do?"

"How long has he been like this?" questioned the Justice pilot with his eyes focussed on Kira from a short distance. He was certain that the brown hair coordinator did not even notice that there were a several additional figures present.

"He didn't change at all after Lacus left him to me two hours ago," answered Cagalli with evident concern in her tone, "Kira is really starting to worry me, Athrun…" Involuntarily, she held on to his hand hoping for some affection. Much to her despair, Athrun did not detect it and surprisingly his rage took control of him. The girls did not understand why he unexpectedly allowed his anger to dominate the better of him.

"What kind of person is he… he doesn't even need to go to the washroom!" declared Athrun with much disbelief. Normally, the girls would laugh at that comment but knowing the Justice pilot said it with utmost seriousness, they decided to drop it. "This is unreal…"

"What should we do then?" Lacus asked timidly not wanting anything devastating to happen.

"I am putting a stop to this right now…" Athrun told her determinedly as he proceeded with his plan firstly by confronting the Freedom pilot. When Kira saw a towering shadow blocking his game screen, in an inanimate fashion, he levelled his head a bit higher to make full eye contact with Athrun. The green eyed coordinator could not help it but flinch at Kira's drained and exhausted face. Judging from the looks of it, he hadn't slept for at least two days. Not only that, he truly appeared to be somebody suffering from malnutrition. With that kind of appearance, it would convince anybody.

"Athrun…" greeted Kira with a voice resembling an undead male.

"Kira…" Athrun said back as Cagalli closely observed her admirer's actions.

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. How about you?" To the very least Kira was talking, so far so good…

"You're blocking my light…" stated Kira as a matter of fact, "Do you mind moving?"

"You know what," the Justice pilot told him faking a ponder, "No."

"What?" questioned Kira staring emptily at his best friend, "Why not?"

"Sorry, Kira," Athrun then suddenly snatched the game console from Kira's hands. Although Kira wanted to retaliate and grab it back, due to the lack of food, he had no strength to do so. "But this thing has got to go." Cagalli and Lacus had their hands over their mouths when they found out Athrun held that machine over his head ready to smash it. Kira helplessly watched in horror when Athrun's face showed nothing but seriousness, if he went on this far, he was going to do it. Without a second thought, the blue haired coordinator moved his hand downward forcefully before releasing his hold on the game, not even Kira's perfect coordinator skills would stop the inevitable. Once the game system made a very hard date with the polished floor, it immediately shattered into pieces of garbage and Kira felt his heart being crushed when the shards flew all over the place. However, the person who screamed in torment was not Kira, but rather the actual owner –who was eight meters away from the four good friends.

"NOOOO!" yelled Crot at the top of his lungs when he witnessed his poor baby turning into useless scraps of trash in less than a second. In an impulse, the Raider pilot rushed to the broken pieces and broke down in the most undignified way Shani had ever seen and it was for a game console. Cagalli and Lacus stared in awe –not in the positive way-, Kira began to choke seeing his precious being destroyed, Athrun was still trying to grasp why Crot was actually crying, and Shani –for once- wanted his hair to cover his eyes so he did not need to see such a pathetic display. At the same time, Athrun recognized that voice, it sounded so familiar…

"Who are-" asked Cagalli but she was interrupted when Crot gave another howl of sorrow.

"Gamie-chan," cried the Raider pilot with despair, "Fate was too cruel to you! This shouldn't be… Why couldn't it have been me?" At that moment, Lacus' eyes twitched irritably. Did he just call his game Gamie-chan? He actually gave it a name? "My precious… I will never be able to hold you again!"

How… morbid…

"Crot…" groaned Shani wearily, "It's just a game…"

"It's not just a game, Shani!" insisted Crot frenziedly as he grabbed the broken pieces and shoving it to his friend's face. The entire Archangel gang watched the newcomers with partially fear, shock, and amusement. "This was Gamie-chan, the thing that kept me alive for so long! How could you say it was just a game? How dare you!" Surprisingly, he turned to Athrun with a deadly glare. "You…" Crot pointed with a finger while taking steps towards the blue haired coordinator. "You are the one who destroyed Gamie-chan… I will not forgive you… this outrageous event shall not be forgotten!"

"I am sorry…" said Athrun with his hand in front of him defensively but with a hint of seriousness since he was trying hard to remember Crot's voice. Where did he hear it from? "I was just trying to help my friend…"

"I don't care!" shouted the Raider pilot, "You killed Gamie-chan and I won't have her back."

"Crot," Shani grunted with his hand ruffling his hair, "We aren't here to pick a fight… just let it go…"

"You sound very familiar," Athrun said ignoring Crot for a second. Kira also began to catch on. Athrun was right, Shani and Crot did sound very well-known to his ears. "Have we met before?" Cagalli and Lacus also detected the solemn tension between the Gundam pilots and these two suspicious new arrivers. Cagalli sworn she had never met them before but it suddenly hit her like a brick when those two were the boys in the infirmary a several days ago.

"I was about to ask the same thing," Shani said as his lavender eye watched both Kira and Athrun very closely without breaking any eye contact, "You also sound very familiar to me…" Even by name Crot stopped his whining and wailing and finally started to grasp this situation. Hearing Athrun's voice made Crot's mind jump a jolt. Again, he pointed a finger at him but what is different was that the Raider pilot was twitching this time around.

"You are that pilot in the red suit!" exclaimed the orange hair natural suddenly. The three coordinators and Cagalli finally figured out who they were, these two must be the pilots of those two EAF mobile suits. They did not even know how they should really be reacting, they were enemies for crying to the heavens! The one with the green hair lacked much interest to start a conversation where as the other whiny one seemed to be a loudmouth. Even so, an emotion called fear continued to linger through their senses, Athrun immediately went on alert and stood defensively as Lacus immediately hid behind Cagalli. Kira simply watched Shani and Crot tiredly.

"What do you two want?" hissed the blue hair coordinator warningly. To his surprise, Shani merely grinned as his question.

"We don't want anything," the Forbidden pilot stated easily but at the same time outstretching his hand for an initial handshake, "I would like to introduce myself. I am GATX-252 Forbidden Gundam's pilot, Shani Andras. I have a general idea of what you are thinking, do you think that I hate you?"

"I wouldn't say that as an understatement," replied Athrun as he shook the natural's hand in the most friendly way he could muster. What shocked him was that there was no hostility in Shani's grip. Once Cagalli and Lacus saw Athrun's face began to relax, they soon followed suit to trust Shani for now. "We were enemies, we did try to kill each other despite that I didn't want to."

"I seriously do not care who I kill," said Shani in a monotone –which made Athrun shiver. "I was only following orders from Azrael." That name gave all four of them the chills immediately. Even though they never met that man in person, they all have heard him over the PA about his logic about enemies and wars. If wars could be solved over talking and disputes, there wouldn't be any wars, he said. So, enemies must be shot… Those two short sentences made the four flinched noticeably.

"You…"

"I wouldn't blame you for disliking us or not even trusting us," continued the Forbidden pilot with a voice of understanding, "however, all we want now is to live in… peace… I want to live a normal life again…" What took Shani off guard was the now cheerful Lacus took both his hands –breaking their handshake- and held them warmly with a caring feeling behind it. Her gentle smile was so foreign to Shani, no one carried that smile to him when he talked, and there she was, this stranger who he did not know, smiling gratefully at him.

"We don't hate you," stated the songstress, "The war caused all this to happen… we acted the way we did due to hate and anger as our main source of fuel… we all did, actually. Maybe you did what you have to do back then such as following orders but the war is now over, you don't have to live like that anymore. Wars can hurt people, and I am sure it also has hurt you, Andras-san. I really do hope that all of us could live happily now," Lacus frowned a little when she stole a glimpse at Kira –who was still lifeless. "And maybe… all of us can be friends!" This young, beautiful lady fascinated Crot and Shani. Her words were overflowing with wisdom and acceptance, why didn't Shani and Crot meet this girl earlier? If they had met someone before they applied to the military, they would never have proceeded in the manners they chose.

When the wasabi green haired natural found out his hands were still in hers, he –not so gracefully- retracted back to his pockets with a blushing face. He obviously had no idea how to deal with girls due to his anti-social behaviour. The only act of impulse he could perform now was attempting to hide his face. Lacus' innocent giggle made Shani to escalate his embarrassment.

"Thank you…" Shani did not know what else he could produce. "I really thank you…" Suddenly, Crot intervened and shoved the Forbidden pilot aside so he could make an introduction.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Crot began with a very attractive, young voice, "I am Crot Buer, GATX-370 Raider Gundam's pilot! Unlike my friend Shani, I am very social and you can talk to me about anything. I would appreciate it a lot if you and I become friends." Crot did not mean it in a romantic way but certainly he had grown fond of Lacus within a short amount of seconds. Lacus just smiled.

"I'll be happy to talk to someone different for a change," the pink haired princess implied as a hidden message to Kira for him to smarten up. "It's really good to meet you, Buer-san."

"Call me Crot, and you may be…"

"I am Lacus Clyne," the pink hair girl replied gently still carrying that smile.

"I am Cagalli Yula Atha," stated the mentioned person as she stepped forward besides Lacus and took Crot's hand for a handshake and then Shani's, "I hope you and I can settle our difference from before… and…" Cagalli was not very good at speaking such words of friendship. "I hope you and I… can also be friends…" Crot simply grinned as Shani nodded without much feeling.

"I am Athrun Zala," the blue hair coordinator also making himself presentable since Lacus and Cagalli set of a good precedent, "I-" He was cut off when Crot gave off a scowl that he did not show to the girls.

"I refuse to be your friend until you give me back Gamie-chan!" scowled Crot with another pointing finger before he brushed past Athrun giving a cold look. Athrun watched in stun, he had never received such a major rejection before in his life. He, son of Patrick Zala, ZAFT's Special Forces, pilot of the Justice Gundam, one of the most handsomest guys ever, had been rejected on sight. What a significant blow to his pride! Athrun could not help but to mumble gibberish as he watched Crot's angered retreating form.

"I am sure he is okay," said Shani putting a hand on the Justice pilot's shoulder before Cagalli did while giving it a pat, "Things will get better."

"Let's hope so…" groaned Athrun regretting his previous actions already. He did somewhat appreciate what the Forbidden pilot was doing though, it did make him feel less of a loser.

"Did you have to go that far and break that game?" asked Cagalli putting her hands on her hips to Athrun, "I mean, it's only a game."

"It was the only option that was left," stated the blue hair coordinator promptly as if his answer was the most legitimate. "Now, Kira, it looks like you-" Athrun did not even finish his sentence and grunted with exasperation when he saw the Freedom pilot. Without that game console, he immediately fell asleep despite the awkward position he was in. Taking that thing away from him was similar to instantly taking out the energy core in a mobile suit. To the four people who were still awake right now –except Lacus-, their eyes constantly twitched at the sight of an exhausted Kira. Why the hell was he up anyway?

"Now what?" grumbled the blond twin holding her head with her left hand. "Do we have to drag him back?"

"Appears so…" Lacus said timidly as she kneeled down and hugged Kira affectionately. "Poor Kira…"

"How troublesome…" finished Cagalli as she grabbed one of his arms with Athrun taking the other so they could hold him in an aiding support position. By this time, Shani bid a small farewell to catch up with Crot where as Cagalli, Lacus and Athrun took the violet eyed coordinator back to the room to rest. Lacus still worried sick and she immediately offered to stay by Kira's side when they reached his room. Seeing her so caring for him, Athrun and Cagalli agreed before they left the two of them alone once again. As the duo walked together, Athrun –involuntarily- put his hand around Cagalli's waist causing her to blush just slightly. When the Orb princess shyly stole a glimpse of him, she smiled when she noticed he had a grin but not staring at her. Smiling warmly one last time, Cagalli naturally rested her head on his firm shoulder before giving off a sigh despite herself. To make Cagalli's smile widen, Athrun kissed her on the forehead a little before her face turned as dark as a strawberry.

Cagalli knew she loved him, although she never said that once.

_**(Several more hours later at the residence, of course that was after a bus ride)**_

Cagalli, Athrun, Kira –who was half awake and half dead-, Lacus, Miriallia, Dearka, Yzak, Shani, and Crot finally arrived to their designated apartment after a "hell of a ride" bus ride. It wasn't the fact that the bus was bad for it was one of the newest models around, but the manholes on the road made the ride little a living disaster. Every twenty seconds or so the bus would literally jolt thus the passengers inside would fly up a several inches off their seats and their heads would meet metal ceiling for a good date. By the time they all got off the bus, Crot did not know if he was suffering from the pain of the Gripheptan or he was going through a migraine. Yzak's pessimistic scowl deepened drastically; Shani's eye continued to flinch as the bumps on his head worsened; and Dearka and Athrun took all the hits for Miriallia and Cagalli. Lacus and Kira were somehow unharmed.

Miriallia thanked Dearka sheepishly knowing that he was quite hurt from all the blows but the Buster pilot said it was nothing with a nice guy face. However, the blue eyed natural knew better when his face started to cringe as he turned around.

Cagalli on the other hand was not impressed with Athrun's noble act. She smiled dryly stating that a simple bumps and bruises would not hurt her at all, men always believed that women were weak. Cagalli was more than willing to prove that statement wrong. Just when she was about to say something, her attention was diverted when her eyes gazed upon the actual condominium. For starters, this place did not look so bad but of course it was nothing compared to the luxurious life she had in Orb. To her, this was even better than being rich since there were no regulations here whatsoever, she was finally a free soul; at least for the time being.

"What's so great about this place?" complained the Duel pilot not impressed at all, "I lived better when I was in PLANT."

"Hey, we don't have to pay a cent to live here," stated Dearka, who was standing next to Miriallia, "Besides, this place ain't that bad now, is it?" asked the Buster pilot as his eyes observed this place. It was above what Dearka first expected indeed. The residence looked quite new; it was on a local road and the arterial road was within sight range -which meant good transportation-; the air was fresh; a very promising sign of agriculture instead of thick polluting fumes; this was not downtown Kyoto; there were plenty of shops and few malls –since they went by it before. Dearka knew life here showed a lot of promise. Now, if only he could get that message across to Yzak's stubbornness, then life would be next to perfection.

"When do we get in?" asked Lacus innocently to no one in particular as she put down her bag of her personal belongings.

"Who knows," said Miriallia in a tired voice, "Things seem to be so disorganized these days…"

"Yeah," agreed Cagalli with a snort, "Waiting for six hours for no apparent reason was not fun at all…"

"I guess the place looks good, right?" Athrun suggested as he –like Dearka- enjoyed the scenery, "I can sure get used to this…" He then glanced over at Kira, his eyes softened a little bit when he found him sleeping again with his head on Lacus' shoulders. The pink haired girl smiled lovingly before she began to move Kira into an even more affectionate and comfortable. She placed him resting on her lap.

"Hey," called out Crot to the crowd, "Can't we just go inside and hang out in the lobby instead of being out here? I mean, it's pointless waiting like this."

"We don't know our instructions yet though, Crot-san," said Lacus quietly and heavenly, "We should wait patiently." Yzak did not like this idea at all. Despite the place being all idealistic and perfect, he refused to allow his time to wait for someone or something that showed no sign of arriving at any time soon. Forget all this, the Duel pilot immediately bashed his way between Dearka and Miriallia and rudely pushed the rotating doors and whizzed right in. Athrun grunted audibly at his friend's low amount of patience. Seeing him already thrashing in, the rest of the gang also went inside.

What shocked everyone at that moment was that Murrue Ramius was already inside the lobby sitting on the couch as if she was waiting for them all this time. She also had a girl beside her that they had never seen before. However, what puzzled everyone to the top of their bent was that they thought the Captain was still back in Archangel, how did she get here earlier than they did. Also, when did she actually find the time to pick someone else up and then show up? No, this was not a good time to wonder about that, they wanted answers and they demanded it now.

"What took you guys so long?" asked Murrue with a smile, "I thought I was going to fall asleep."

"But… you…" Yzak said with a finger twitching as he pointed at her, "If you were here… why didn't come out and tell us?"

"You all were bonding so well together that I couldn't bare to tear you guys apart," justified the Archangel captain. That made Yzak's eye twitch another notch where as the rest of the youths just sighed to themselves inwardly. They never knew Murrue was such a joking type, maybe Mwu's influence was finally starting to influence her as well. When the ones who knew Mwu personally recalled his name, they quickly removed that thought out of their minds not wanting to remember any tragedies when they were supposed to relax. However, they knew they could not hide it in their subconscious forever, but yet avoiding it seemed to their best choice.

"Whatever…" said Shani weakly as his song was starting to get to the good part.

"Anyway," continued Murrue as she stood up as the girl next to her was still sitting down nervously, "I have registered all of you to live in this condominium, and since there are three girls and six guys, it divides perfectly into three groups. So, I registered you guys in three apartments, the girls would be living in one while the boys have to divide themselves into two groups of three. After that, I will explain the rest."

"But, Murrue-san," Athrun spoke in a slight hurry, "What about that girl with you?" Everyone immediately gave their attention to the stranger with golden blond hair with magenta eyes. In a natural reaction, timidity reached her features when she found out everyone was looking at her. She squeaked a little due to anxiety but she relaxed and had a relieved smile when she found two people among them. She didn't know them too well but at least she had knowledge of who they were. Getting off the couch, she rushed at them ready to embrace.

"Crot!" she exclaimed happily to the Raider Gundam pilot as she held him in a good friendship hug. Being Crot, he had no clue as of how to proceed with such great appreciation. Moreover, how did this girl know him? Who was she? When she looked up at him with an adorable blush on her cheeks, Crot finally had an image of her. He had met her before but he could not fully grasp what her name was. However, Shani stepped in.

"Hello, Stellar," the Forbidden pilot greeted in a monotone. "What a… pleasant… surprise…" _Oh, good god…_

"Shani-kun!" Stellar called out loud with delight. The one-eyed natural flinched at her remark, no one called him Shani-kun other than her, and damn he didn't like it. Yet, he didn't have the heart to simply tell her to stop. "I'm so happy to see you! How have you two sempais of mine been?" Dearka and Miriallia absorbed this with confusion; Yzak scoffed uncaringly; Cagalli had her head tilted innocently; Lacus had a smile of acceptance; Kira was beginning to wake up; but Athrun was the one who said something.

"You know each other?" asked the Justice pilot to one of the three with amazement in his voice.

"Yes," said Shani in a bored tone, "We were in the same military…"

"But we were higher rank," added Crot as he pried Stellar off him. The girl pouted a little bit knowing that she was somewhat rejected, "Since we were higher rank, we were given the mobile suits instead of her when we had the same training."

"Who may you be?" Lacus again intervened with a very welcoming aura of grace. "I am Lacus Clyne."

"I am Stellar Louissier," the magenta eyed girl introduced herself with a voice filled with gentleness and serenity, "Former soldier of the EAF. It's a pleasure to meet all of you… especially you, Lacus Clyne. Do you know I actually really like your songs? Do you still sing?"

"I have stopped for a while actually," the pink haired princess replied a little sheepishly when she knew she would bring forth disappointment, "I don't really like it as much as I used to…" Just when Stellar was trying to give out a response, she was cut off when Murrue gave a short cough. The two girls quickly reverted their attention back to the current speaker but a smile still crept on their faces. Stellar knew she would be able to make friends with her easily, and there was no need to rush things for there would be plenty of opportunities in the future.

"Looks like you already made yourself comfortable, Stellar," commented Murrue kindly and Stellar shyly looked away from her gaze. "Anyway, because we have an additional girl now, the girls would have the largest condo amongst the three. So the group would be Stellar, Cagalli, Lacus, and Milly. You boys need to discuss amongst yourselves to decide who should dorm with who so I can give you your keys." Immediately, the males gathered around and began their discussion. From an outsider's point of view, it looked like they were arguing with Yzak doing most of the work.

After a major argument –when it could easily be solved with compromise but eventually force must be used in the very end- Yzak had to dorm with the two naturals Shani and Crot. A scowl continued to cover his face after the forceful discussion where as Shani and Crot were kind of… shocked… to see someone so passionate about where to sleep. Did it really matter? The guys just groaned at the outcome of this situation.

As soon as Murrue handed the girls the keys to room 106, Kira's group to room 108, and Yzak's to room 110, she handed them each of them and large envelope that had their names written on them. As Cagalli opened hers, hers eyes widened when she took out a small bank book and a bank card that was slipped inside. The book contained the password, some personal information about the user but what Cagalli wanted to know was how much money she had. Once she saw the amount of money that was in her account, her face shined with delight.

"Wow…" she spoke airily with excitement. "I am getting one hundred and eighty thousand dollars for free!" Athrun -who was beside her- instantly grabbed his book from the envelope and checked out his amount. He was stunned to see he had the same amount. The Justice pilot then turned to his left to Dearka and even the Buster pilot reacted while jerking. In a few moments, all of their faces contained that same surprised emotion. What puzzled all of them was why they had that kind of money.

"Let me explain," said Murrue knowing what was on their minds at that mere instant, "This money is what your home country donated to you guys so you could survive through this new life. The reason that the country gave you these is because none of you can find a job without some financial stability. You all need to have education first and the ability to survive. From now on, you need this money to pay for your own expenses for this home until further notice. All the bills would come from this money, your food would be coming from it, other necessities would need it as well, so please don't waste it because that is all you are going to get.

"In theory, this money should last you guys for around two to three years until you can find yourselves a career. You guys can even find yourselves a job to earn a partial living if you want to but I am in no position to tell you what to do, this is your life and it's your decision to live it the way you want to. Also, there is something in the envelope you may also want to take a look at." Obeying without question, the youths also took out a certificate that was with the bank book. Some of them allowed their face to cringe, some were unaffected, and lastly the rest were delighted. Kira was the first one to speak in a very long time.

"This is… this is our registration to become students at North Kyoto Collegiate Institute…" Kira stated his words with awe. He indeed was showing some life again. "Alright!" he suddenly exploded with youthful spirits –which was nearly forgotten due to the war. "I can go to school again!" Lacus finally smiled a relieved smile knowing that her lover at last had the strength to continue, she could not help but feel grateful for this event. At the same time, there were others who spoke their feelings.

"It has been a while since I went to school…" Athrun stated with a smile that displayed he was recalling memories, "I wonder how it's like to go back there again…" Anyone who heard him knew he was looking forward to it. Stellar, Lacus, Cagalli, Dearka, and Milly also had grins or smiles on their faces, they agreed to this without problems. Actually, like Athrun, they wanted to either go back if they left school during the war or want to experience it first hand if they never had the opportunity to enjoy the life of education where military school did not count.

Then, there were the rest…

"School?" ranted Crot immediately in a loud tone of voice so everyone could hear his complaints, "Why? I don't want to go there… damn, this sucks, I thought we have freedom and now we have this crap? Damn it all!"

"…" Shani did not say anything but his face flinched knowing that he had to go back to school when he ditched it several years ago. Needless to say, although he would go since it was free and all, it was quite clear that he would not take school too willingly.

"This is such a gyp!" shouted the Duel pilot with a deadly look on his face. Dearka and Athrun knew he was in raw-fury mode. "I did not come to earth for the reason so I can go to school! I am a red-coat in ZAFT, I don't need this garbage! I refuse to be treated with such treatment! Me showing up as a student at an educational building is an insult to my image, pride, and intelligence!"

"And what kind of intelligence would be insulted?" questioned Dearka with a smirk. Miriallia immediately laughed with the Buster pilot while Yzak flashed a very annoyed glare. His rage merely increased when Dearka avoided his gaze, and to make it even worse, the rest of the youths joined in. How dare he insult him so many times in one day!

"Oh, it can't be that bad," Murrue told the Duel pilot and the rest of the gang at the same time, "School is a place to expand your future, and there are plenty of opportunities in there that you might miss if you don't go. All the people around you would be going too, and I am sure that they would be more than willing to make things more enjoyable for you. Besides, it's another form of relaxation and you do want to keep your mind clear from conflicts. Trust me, you will learn to like it."

"Do I have a choice not to go?" questioned Yzak rudely to see if there were any alternatives.

"You have to go for at least one semester because the government requires you to have at least four credits or you would not be able to quit school. You wouldn't be able to quit for at least six months. Trust me, graduating will be rewarded. And contrariwise, not achieving enough credits would result in utmost humiliation that will not be neglected." Hearing that, Dearka and Athrun wanted to burst out laughing when they saw the gray hair coordinator's priceless expression. It was a perfect fusion of anger, surprised, and finally exasperation. What was the dominant emotion at that moment? Nobody knew but they all came to a consensus that Yzak served as their perfect source of entertainment. The Duel pilot could not do anything but to keep a grimace on his face to save the remaining remnants of his pride.

Oh, this was going to be one hell of a life…

**_AN: If I made any characters out of character, I will apologize. In any fiction that I make, I tend to twist their personalities a little bit to bring out their other neglected side. Such as their shadows. I know I made Kira into a very boring and dull character but that is only temporary until Lacus or anyone else has time to deal with him in greater depth. I also hope you have no objections to how Stellar knew Shani and Crot, I just can't make Stellar a complete stranger to the group and expect friendship to happen from scratch. I know Lunamaria, Shinn, and Meyrin did not show up in this chapter, they will be in the scenes soon enough._**

**_Although this is not my first attempt at fiction, it is my very first try at Seed. If you can refrain from being lazy and all, I will appreciate it if you leave some comments whether it is good or bad. I am more than willing to hear from you all. Hope you all enjoyed it! Please take care of yourselves out there!_**


	2. Shani: Facing Reality

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_Chapter 2: Shani: Facing Reality_

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts and other italic words are also within this category

Scene Changes are listed in bolded italic brackets

Pairings in this story include: KiraLacus, AthrunCagalli, DearkaMiriallia, YzakOC –unless you suggest a real character for him-, ShinnStellar, LunamariaShaniStellar –this would be amusing to write-, and CrotMeyrin.

**_AN: Thank you all for your reviews everyone, and since I have only 15 reviews, I could actually spend some time to do some one on one chatting and responding. I will do my best to answer some of your questions._**

**_Jasx316:_** Your reviews are always appreciated, I hope this chapter pleases you.

**_Anonymous:_** I am glad that this chapter pleased you. I do hope that the future chapters would please you just as much.

**_Darth Riven:_** It's given that you have no idea what my writing style is like. I do not make short chapters, that's a fact that all the Naruto readers who read my work know about. So, if you like to read short work, you have a very clear idea that my work is not for you. Thanks for your limited words of encouragement.

**_Mick:_** Let's hope this chapter continues to interest you, thank you for reading!

**_asga:_** Thank you so much for reading and reviewing for me, I hope this chapter can be as pleasing as the last.

**_swordDieXeQtion:_** Glad that you like it but I may not emphasize on Dearka or Miriallia as often as I want to because although they are a good pair, I really didn't fall in love with them or too interested in it. However, I will try my best.

**_KiraLacus:_** Haven't watched Naruto? Well, don't. That series is so damn long and dragging that it takes a lot of patience to watch. Some of the episodes are clearly a waste of time and more or less the series is a disappointment. I like Naruto for the characters, not the storyline. Anyway, hope you like this latest chapter of mine.

**_Angel of Dreams:_** Thanks for your review!

**_hawkhanyou:_** Thanks for your words of praise… but who is Shiho? Is she in Seed? If she isn't, I won't follow your pairing. If you tell me who this person is, maybe I could actually change the pairings. Luckily, I haven't fully decided on the Yzak pairing that character did not show up yet.

**_MissKT:_** Glad you liked it a lot, lady. Thanks for your comments about how I made Shani and Crot, they are one of my favorite characters after all. Enjoy this chapter for me, okay?

**_D.D Designator:_** You review every chapter of my work, thanks man! DFL3 will be postponed for certain, sorry.

_**Forbidden:**_ Another fan who would not cease to support me, thank you so much, my good friend! Thank you so much for your hope and spiritual help!

**_LoverOfDestiny:_** ShaniLuna is a pairing that no one has created, maybe it's because I love these two characters so much that I had to put them together. I seriously do pray that I do not let any one of you down. Thanks again.

**_Shadows:_** Am I that unpredictable? Wow, I am gratified by your words. Thank you so much for your comments and endless praise, I really do hope that you loved it. Hey, writing it was fun, too.

**_NightmareRider:_** Dying of anxiousness, hey, this new chapter should cure it!

**_AN: Let the saga continue, shall we? _**

**_(The next at the conference room of North Kyoto Collegiate Institute in the very early morning)_**

"Why the hell is it so annoying?" inquired Crot loudly again for the third time this morning as he looked at the course sign up sheets with over eighty courses available. "Why can't this blasted school just give us any course at random so we don't have to do such troublesome things?"

When it came to a competition of ranting, Crot and Yzak were the best competitors. Ever since yesterday afternoon, Yzak had been complaining about which room he should get; how tidy their entire condo must be at most of the times; who got which bathroom since there were two and he obviously wanted to hog one bathroom to himself; the conditions at night so they wouldn't bother each other (when Yzak only cared about Crot and Shani not bothering him); and a whole bunch of crap that Shani did not want to deal with. All the Forbidden pilot wanted to do was to eat, sleep, and fool around. He had no intention to make anyone's life troublesome. Conveniently enough, others were always there making life more complex.

Just when Shani thought Yzak's demands and rules were enough, Crot had not been much of a help to him in terms of calming his mind. Ever since the topic about going back to school was presented yesterday afternoon, Crot had been ranting non-stop to Shani, and sometimes agreeing with the Duel pilot that school was a waste of time. The Raider pilot told him that the Duel Gundam had the perfect opportunity to shoot down his suit butYzak chose not to, and Shanireally wantedYzakto kill Crot before so he did not to need to suffer through this infernal racket nearly 24/7. Ever since then, Shani did not even have the time to listen to one good song. To the very least, Crot and Yzak seemed to getting along quite well... surprisingly enough.

"Pick it for you?" questioned Shani raising his right eye a little with absolutely no interest. Anyone who heard his voice today knew he was very tired. Stellar –who was sitting next to Shani- watched him worriedly from his left. She just had an intuition of something must have happened during their apartment last night. From what she could gather, the one eyed natural seriously lacked rest. "I don't think you would want that…"

"And why not?" retorted Crot giving off a dragon eyed stare.

"Then they would give you some courses that you may not want to take," replied the Forbidden pilot wearily as he checked off the sixth of the eight courses that he was able to take. "If I were you, I would not rant about checking off 8 courses because I rather not have you yell and scream about some lame course later on. You are more than likely to protest saying that 'I wish I did this' or whatever."

"Hey, you taking me for a crybaby, Shani?" the Raider pilot leered.

"I don't have time to argue with you," Shani said back while standing up and signing the form with his signature. With that said, Shani exited the room with dead silence not wanting anyone to talk to him. Crot and Stellar watched confusedly as to why the Forbidden pilot appeared so frustrated. Although he was very anti-social and never preferred human contact, he had never brushed anyone off in that degree.

"Crot-sempai," said Stellar with a touch of guilt, "What happened to Shani-kun?"

"Who knows," answered Crot scowling a little bit, "Shani was always weird."

"He seems angry… I don't like seeing him so upset…"

"Then why don't you go and cheer him up then?" suggested the Raider pilot not so wholeheartedly. "After all, you are worried."

"I don't know how to though…" Stellar said back shyly with her head looking down a little. In addition, her cheeks were filled with a tint of pink. Crot only gave off a loud sigh casually before walking away from Stellar the second time already. The blond hair girl knew Crot was quite the insensitive at times, she grimaced a little before finding another person to talk to. It was then when someone approached her.

"Stellar," called Cagalli with Lacus and Miriallia. The mentioned girl smiled immediately when her friends came looking for her. Fortunately for her, Stellar fit right in to the group with no problem. For the first time in her life, she felt very accepted and safe, having friends was very comforting. "What kind of courses have you picked?" The Orb princess offered her course selection sheet to Stellar so she could match. With a smile, Stellar took it and carefully scanned through it quickly. For a natural, she was very fast.

"I picked drama, dance, aqua biology, psychology, English, and vocal." Stellar replied gently.

"But that's only six courses though," Cagalli reminded.

"I want to have two spares, Cagalli," reasoned the magenta eyed lady still having a smile, "Believe it or not, I am a lazy person." Lacus and Miriallia giggled hearing that remark where as Cagalli's eyes opened up with interest.

"We are allowed to have spares?" the Orb princess inquired with utmost hope. "Then screw having eight courses! I am so taking six!" She then scratched off world history and chemistry off her list and she seemed quite satisfied with the list she had now. When Lacus and Miriallia peeked over, a smile crept on their faces.

"You picked family studies, Cagalli?" asked Lacus hopefully.

"Yeah," the blond twin replied easily, "Why ask?"

"You don't seem to be the family type," commented Miriallia jokingly but Cagalli certainly found that to be teasing. It wasn't like she was completely enraged though. "Don't tell me you and Athrun are trying to-"

"What are you talking about?" Cagalli made an outburst withembarrassment and a thick blush on her cheeks, "I wasn't even thinking about that!" Stellar fought hard not to choke with laughter where as Lacus just smiled one of her heartwarming smiles too knowingly.

"We know you aren't," stated Lacus still carrying that smile that bugged the lights out of Cagalli, "We know." That obviously did not make the Orb princess feel any better. It was then she snatched the sheet from Lacus –who yelped due to the unexpected action- and read out loud. At first, Cagalli was going to tease her good friend of the courses she had chose but her golden orbs no longer held that feeling when she noticed what the songstress actually selected.

"Psychology," began Cagalli slowly, "Sociology, anthropology, family studies, English, and vocal…" The Orb princess noticed the first four were human science courses, and judging by how Lacus looked away sadly at that moment, Cagalli and Miriallia figured the pink princess selected those deliberately for the sake of one person; Kira. Stellar also detected the distress from them, she was not as ignorant as Crot imagined her to be. Despite her lack of ability to grasp the full scenario, Stellar safely assumed that this must involve someone Lacus treasured. "Oh, Lacus…"

"It's okay, Cagalli," Lacus told them all with assurance, "I do want to take those courses. Don't think that I am forced to take it, okay?"

"I do want to believe you…" said Miriallia biting her lower lip slightly. "But…"

"I know you are trying to help my little brother for taking these, Lacus," stated Cagalli rather directly. "You know what, I will put some sense into him myself. Don't worry about it." Using that voice, anyone knew the solution the Orb princess had in mind was violence –and lots of it. Lacus quickly shook her hands with frantic not wanting Kira to be hurt in any physical or verbal way. Cagalli merely sighed at Lacus' kindness inwardly, they all knew Lacus was just too kind to resort to any force.

"Let's just hope these courses help Kira, okay?" Miriallia said at last looking at Cagalli and Lacus for a consensus. Luckily for her, the two nodded in agreement and Cagalli –for the sake of Kira- also switched a class to learn about psychology. When she stole a glimpse of Stellar, Cagalli was puzzled seeing her confused look.

"I got one question…" mumbled Stellar quietly.

"Ask ahead."

"Who's Kira?"

_**(At the cafeteria after getting their timetables finalized)**_

"So far so good," said Dearka to the gang as he slipped back his timetable into a slot into his backpack, "Looks like all of us have English as first class tomorrow morning."

"Why do all of us need English?" questioned Kira as he crossed his arms.

"English is an universal language in all countries," justified Athrun, "We all have to learn it in order to survive in society."

"Talk about annoying…" grumbled Yzak as he looked left and right to familiarize himself in this new vicinity. Judging from things, he didn't like it. People were too natural (not because they are naturals), too kind, always having smiles on their faces when Yzak was accustomed to rules and solemnity.

"It can't be that bad," said Dearka as a devious smirk reached his features. "Remember, if you don't get enough credits, you can't get out of school, and you will be a laughing stock of a lifetime." Yzak flinched angrily as the Buster pilot gave him such an unwanted reminder. He seriously did not need that.

"You know that lady is just trying to intimidate me," corrected the Duel pilot attempting to keep up a confident smile. The lady he was referring to wasclearly Murrue."No one is going to do anything to me if I do fail. Of course that's not going to happen to me since I won't fail to begin with."

"Actually," said Shani suddenly from the rear –which caught the four male coordinators in an instant, "They do kind of make a big deal out of it." That did not please Yzak at all. To be precise, that got everyone interested except for Crot since he lived under earth circumstances. They waited patiently for Shani to continue.

"What are you saying?" questioned the Duel pilot for patience was not a strong trait in his blood.

"What I am saying is everyone does know if you passed or fail in the end." The Forbidden pilot told them all in a whispering voice but definitely audible. "At the end of each semester, they post up the names in terms of rank on a board. And each name on that board has your overall mark and rank, but everyone passes their grade level if their names are up there."

"In other words," Crot stepped in conveniently, "Those people who are not listed failed their grade. That is how everyone knows if you failed or passed in the end." Yzak paled up in an instant where as the other three coordinators did not find that to be much of a problem. Shani and Crot appeared to be quite confused since only Yzak seemed very frightened where as the other three appeared to be fine. "Yzak… are you okay?"

"High school is going to be a snap," declared Athrun as he wrapped his left arm around Kira's neck like best buddies. In fact, they still were. "It's gonna be like old times again, right, Kira?"

"Yeah," replied the Freedom pilot finding a little hard to breathe due to Athrun's grip, but he didn't mind. "We are so going to ace this high school!"

"Don't leave me out of this," Dearka said joining in with his two good friends that he knew in Archangel. "Athrun, we didn't do that bad ourselves when we were in the ZAFT military school,did we?"

"I remember," replied the Justice Pilot having a smile on his face, "The two of us had the best grades in the academy. We were pretty much rivals in terms of academics but we were cool. If military school was easy, I doubt this high school wouldn't be that much different." Dearka promptly agreed but Shani stole another glance at Yzak. He jerked just slightly when Yzak's face displayed stun, shock, fright, and surprise. What was wrong with him?

"Yzak seems kind of worried…" commented Kira watching the Duel pilot carefully.

"That's what I was saying a minute ago…" said Crot in exasperation.

"Shut up, Yamato," growled the Duel pilot completely irritated, "What do you know about me getting worried?"

"Don't worry about him," Athrun told Kira as a grin crept on his lips, "Let's just say Yzak Jule here doesn't have the best academic skills."

"Zala!" warned Yzak loudly as his teeth gritted and clashed with another. "Don't you dare spill anything to Yamato! I am warning you!"

"Kira is going to know eventually," Dearka told Yzak with a touch of fake understanding. "You might as well save yourself from losing more of your dignity and admitting your weaknesses now."

"I have no weaknesses!" yelled the Duel pilot threatening to shake a fist. However, Athrun could've cared less knowing Yzak's idle threats never advanced to action. Instead of taking the warning seriously, the Justice pilot continued despite Yzak's distress.

"What Yzak is trying to say is, he was at the bottom of the food chain," explained Athrun still having that too knowing grin on his too handsome face. "If you are wondering how he ever got to be a red-coat… let's just say his mommy persuaded the Chairman and his zeal was desperately needed."

"Zala..." the Duel pilot continued to hiss begging him to stop.

"What I am saying is," announced Athrun ignoring Yzak's pleas, "Yzak sucks at school!"

Yzak instantly cracked knowing one of his most detestable secrets were shared to the guys as if it was the easiest thing in the world; Dearka started to chuckle and he was certain that it would soon turn into sounds of laughter; Shani's visible eye raised a little with amusement before he smirked; Crot just stared with astonishment not ever believing Yzak would actually be bad when he was a strong pilot in the war; and Kira simply absorbed everything.

"I am going to kill you, Zala!" screamed the Duel pilot furiously enraged. "Since you take so much pleasure in embarrassing me, vengeance is the only thing that I have left!" The blue haired coordinator acted as if he was threatened very badly, but Yzak's angered visage soon evolved into a sinister grin. From the looks of it, Kira knew something was up Yzak's unpredictable mind. "I wouldn't be laughing now, Athrun. Do you happen to remember what was the first thing that we saw you have when you opened your suitcase in the dorm?"

"What was in that suitcase?" questioned Athrun using his eyes to inquire further. "I remember nothing."

"Of course you don't remember anything," continued Yzak confidently, "Who would want to remember anything as embarrassing as showing their military comrades that they have a clean pair of pink bunny slippers given by their fiancee?"

Recalling that memory, Athrun's green eyes paled up into pools of clear white. Yzak's snarl increased knowing Athrun had been hit very hard in the emotional department; Dearka burst out laughing with his hands on his abdomen; Kira just imaged a very solemn looking Justice pilot in meditation, and what seriously made him crack was that pink on his feet with bunny heads. Like Dearka, Kira also lost his control and joined the Buster pilot with a howl of laugher.

Athrun's face flushed up with absolute embarrassment, how he wanted to rid his mind of that scenario when he kindly rejected Lacus' little present after needing to return to the base. Unknown to Athrun, Lacus just thought he was too humble to accept anything from her, andso without him knowing she had slipped the pink slippers into his suitcase as a good luck charm. In the end, he went back to the military lacking the fact that the cuddly objects were the first things in his luggage. Therefore, when he unpacked, the first thing that fell out was those slippers and Nicol, Rusty, Dearka, and especially Yzak bawled with amusement that entire afternoon and a several days after that. He had no face to show to anyone until he aced a test that Yzak failed miserably on later on that week.

"Yzak…"growled Athrun with his face very red. "Why did you have to bring that up?"

"Chill, man," commented Crot while chortling as he slapped the Justice pilot on the back quite hard but not to an extent that was hostile. "Being a laughing stock isn't so bad, Zala, it's good to see you embarrassed when I always known you as the annoying guy in the red suit. This is a very good change!" Those words were intended to wound Athrun's pride further without doubt.

"Crot, don't you start…" the blue haired coordinator gave a warning stare but he stopped when he saw Crot's face.

"Oh, I insist that I do, Athrun Zala," interrupted the Raider pilot with a smile before a solemn snarl came across his face, "This small embarrassment of yours is only a small portion of the agony that I received from losing Gamie-chan. I will catch your every fault until you give me back my baby!" At this moment, the Justice pilot cold sweated. Who knew what this guy would do to make his life a living hell, Athrun did not even want to assume. "Right, Shani?" Just as he wanted some feedback and support from the Forbidden pilot, Crot flinched when his response was nothing but dead silence.

_Damn you, Shani…_

"Hey," yelled Crot, "I am talking to you!"

"I know," Shani's reply came back extremely dull. Kira blinked a several times wondering why Shani was suddenly so quiet but he soon realized his attention was given to a several flyers and magazines. However, what the gang did not understand was what on earth he was reading.

"What are you reading, Shani?" questioned Yzak not very impressed by the green haired natural's stoic attitude. If he was trying to be cool, he had a long way to go.

"Some sales," Once again, his answer was vague.

"What kind of sales?" inquired Dearka motioning Shani to speak more than that.

"Sales on computers and laptops, printers, scanners, and such." replied Shani as he circled one of them that marked his interest. "From what I can gather, a vast majority of assignments are preferred to be typed knowing that many of the students have very poor level of handwriting. And also, I noticed that we don't have any computers in our apartments and we wouldn't last for very long without it."

"I wouldn't worry too much, Shani," said Dearka with reassurance although he really didn't know the Forbidden pilot nor did he like him very much. They were enemies not too long ago after all and it did take Dearka some time to readjust to all this. "It's not like the fact this school doesn't have any computers. I am sure we would survive."

"Of course we would survive," Shani continued with his eye narrowing a tint more, "But definitely not too gracefully. Besides, I wouldn't give this school full reliability knowing how many other students may need a PC at times, you should be prepared not needing to depend on them." All of them had to agree with that logic since it carried nothing but the facts and not opinions. "Regardless, I am planning to get a PC and some other things today using that money we got."

"You're going to get it now?" Kira asked not believing how Shani planned out a game plan for the day already. He indeed was organized.

"Yeah. I suggest if you have nothing to do, come with me, you won't regret it."

"We'll see…" said Athrun smiling to accept the kind offer. "Thanks again."

"Don't mention it…" Shani finished silently before he bid a farewell with the group and taking a small map from the office so he could gain access to another part of town. After taking a several thousand dollars from his new bank account from a bank nearby, he proceeded with his activities for the rest of the afternoon.

_**(5 hours later)**_

The Forbidden pilot was exhausted after the journeys of venturing through places to shop. Of course, he wasn't window shopping or doing it for the sake of entertainment. For obvious reasons, Shani never was someone who preferred shopping. Opposed to that, he really loved to be alone so he would know himself more. In addition, he was buying things because it was a must, or he seriously should. In the long run, it was worth it knowing that his efforts were not wasted when he would have an easier time in school. This tiring day was worth it, he kept telling himself as he walked with a large bag of stuff and a box under his right arm back to his apartment that was on the first floor.

His merchandises included a P4 laptop, an optical mouse, today's newspaper, instructions to have internet access for their apartment –after he made deals with the company-, several binders, paper, writing utensils, blank CDs, several music CDs he found in the store, several manga, and others. He walked around the city madly just to find everything that he needed, and his lips continued to keep a grin of satisfaction when he found them all.

As Shani placed his keys into the lock, his eye opened up lightly when he noticed the door was not locked. At the same time, he heard a lot of noises from behind the door. Judging from the mood of the sounds, it didn't appear to be thieves trying to steal their stuff. The wasabi green haired male wondered what could be happening inside without him. Nonetheless, he turned the doorknob and entered his suite.

He certainly was surprised when he found everyone inside. Moreover, he was stunned when his apartment was under the state of a chaotic party. First of all, why was there a party? Secondly, why didn't anyone invite him or tell him? Crot was the first person to notice Shani's return.

"Hey, Shani!" greeted Crot in a cheer as he grabbed a bottle of cola and approached the Forbidden pilot who still was carrying a lot of stuff. Shani clearly found the Raider's pilot's breath smelled like BBQ chips. Actually, the entire place was filled with junk food and pop.

"What's going on here?" Shani asked a little bit disappointed at this but Crot didn't catch it.

"It's a party, idiot!" the orange haired natural told him happily with glee.

"Why wasn't I told about this?" At that time, Dearka and Yzak came along. The Buster pilot appeared to be very content about this event since a wide smile plastered on his face where as Yzak simply wiped his mouth with a napkin. Although a look of neutrality was all the Duel pilot showed, he did appear to be enjoying it deep down.

"Cagalli and Miriallia decided to celebrate our success soon after you left, Shani," Dearka replied as he gulped down another satisfying sip of cola. "Damn, I never knew soda tasted this good!" Yzak only smirked at Dearka's words, he sure was someone easy to satisfy.

"Yeah," added the gray haired coordinator with a neutral grin, "It was such a good idea that we couldn't refuse. It had been a long time since we had fun."

"Why didn't you guys look for me?" At this point, Shani was quite displeased.

"We didn't know where you were though," answered Crot. "Guess what I got today?" Shani only gestured Crot to continue stoically. He then practically dragged Shani to the living room to where all the action was. Miriallia was sitting on the couch eating a sandwich; Lacus was beside Kira cheering him on a game that he was playing on the big screen TV; Athrun was next to Cagalli as he encouraged her to toughen up on her game; and Stellar's smile widened delightfully when she found Shani came back. However, what puzzled Shani was why was their a game system here when they didn't have one yesterday.

"Crot…"

"I followed your advise, Shani," stated Crot proudly, "Since you were getting whatever you want out there, you indirectly convinced me to buy what I wanted. And of course, I need a good replacement for Gamie-chan, and which I have in my room, and I also wanted a game system that I could have endless fun on. This PS2 is the best thing that I have ever bought. Don't you think that it's a beauty?" Dearka immediately agreed with Crot, Yzak merely made a small nod, but Shani did not find any interest in this piece of machinery. Nonetheless, he gave a nod to comply –which pleased the Raider pilot quite a bit.

"NO!" screamed Kira when he found Cagalli's racecar reached the finish line five seconds before his. Lacus pouted slightly at Kira's defeat but decided to massage his shoulders as encouragement. Kira –being a good loser- only smiled at Lacus' kindness and managed to give a humble grin to Cagalli. However, Cagalli was not such a good winner.

"Take that, little brother!" shouted Cagalli with zeal and fiery passion before Athrun could congratulate her. "Never challenge a woman like me, you got owned! Owned! You heard me, Kira, owned! I am the best! I am invincible! I am unstoppable!" Miriallia chuckled at the Orb princess' exuberance, she never knew how she could have so much energy over the smallest matters. She did have grown quite fond of her over this short amount of time.

"Cagalli," Athrun spoke holding her shoulders, "You do know there are such things as a bad winner, right?"

"You're supposed to agree with me on these things!" Cagalli said back as she reacted on impulse and pounced on the Justice pilot with her on top watching him alluringly. No doubt Athrun flushed up noticeably when his lover performed such a maneuver of affection and charm, and Cagalli's cheeks burned as well after her little act. Sheepishly, she retracted from him to lessen the weight on his chest, and Athrun took this chance to sit back up. "I…"

"It's okay, Cagalli…" whispered Athrun also wanting to hide his face due to the immense blushing. Much to his discomfort, it was then when Dearka placed his hand hard on his shoulder as a sign of cheer.

"Damn it, Zala," commented the Buster pilot now patting on his former Captain's back supportively. "You always seem to have the best amongst all of us. Man, you better treat Cagalli well, she seems to be on fire!" Athrun jerked distinctly with eyes filled with discomfort and timidity. Dearka laughed again for the fifth or tenth time today and making sure he wasn't laughing at his own jokes, he noticed Kira, Lacus, and Miriallia joining in with agreement. Cagalli, however, did not find it amusing, and her temper once again took better of her judgments.

"How dare you, Dearka!" screamed Cagalli at the top of her lungs –which startled the quiet Stellar. "You like to make fun of me? I am going to beat you up good!" When the Orb princess said that, anyone who knew her well enough knew that she meant it fully. As of result, the blond coordinator gulped hard before dashing off elsewhere but Cagalli only pursued with utmost zeal.

Whizzing by Shani –who nearly dropped all of his stuff since both Dearka and Cagalli almost knocked him over-, the Forbidden pilot now found his apartment in a state no different from an insane asylum where the patients held no common sense or knowledge. Miriallia giggled to herself seeing Dearka would soon be tortured; Stellar just stared confusedly but amusement was also present on her emotions; Athrun got up and followed his lover; Kira and Lacus watched with anxiety; but Shani wanted to scream with grief when those two entered a room –his room.

In a flash of events, Cagalli suddenly tackled Dearka at the back despite him being a coordinator. Giving a painful grunt, the Buster pilot did what he could do at the moment and tried to find the softest part he could land on. Since this was not a large bedroom, the first thing that Dearka had in mind was the bed, and fortunately he didn't smash any of his body parts on the wood and landed safely. Yet, the Orb princess seized this chance and began to pound him either playfully or not so playfully. At the same time, the others made it inside and witnessed this violent display.

"Go, Cagalli!" cheered the Justice pilot happily. "Take him down!"

"No, Dearka," objected Miriallia who squeezed herself through the crowd and emerged at the front. "Fight back, fight back! Don't lose to her!" Having Miriallia as a support, it was then when the Buster pilot began to block and defend himself. However, when the tides seemed to be even, the songstress began her cheering.

"Go, Cagalli-san!" Lacus shouted supportively. "Go get him!"

"Lacus?" questioned Kira not believing the pink hair coordinator would prefer a violent outcome.

"Come on, Kira," she held his hands lovingly. "Join the fun!" Kira did not know who to cheer for. He could support Cagalli and Dearka would seriously be pummeled to the ground. Yet, if he helped Dearka to exhilarate his enthusiasm, his sister would have his head for not helping her. To the Freedom pilot, this was a hard decision to make. He stole a glimpse at Yzak and Crot; they clearly did not care who was going to win at the end. It wasn't like the fact they were getting beat up.

Shani, on the other hand, cringed lightly when he heard a wooden cracking sound. From what he could gather at the moment, he figured that sound must have came from the bed. The noise only got louder as each second went by, and due to the fact everyone was paying such close attention –except for Stellar who was watching Shani the entire time- they did not notice a thing. In a matter of moments, one of the legs snapped due to the constant force, and in perfect coordination, the rest of them instantly broke thus the bed collapsed in a loud whump.

"No!" the Forbidden pilot screamed at last as he unintentionally shoved all his belongings to the shy Stellar, and rushed to the front. "What did you do? Where the hell am I supposed to sleep tonight!"

"Oops?" Cagalli said back nervously as she scratched her head above a seriously wounded Dearka since he took all the collapsing impact. Oops? After messing up his bedroom, all she could say was oops? For once, Shani's right eye flared up angrily, and this time Cagalli knew he was being frighteningly serious.

"Get out of my room…" the green haired natural hissed darkly. Everyone swallowed hard to remain calm.

"But Shani," reasoned Crot stepping in. "It was only an acci-" The Raider pilot quickly shut himself up when Shani tilted his head with a deadly slow movement.

_**"Right now."**_ If the gang had a high level of imagination, Shani's aura was as threatening as Medusa summoning her snakes to kill. All of them felt frozen solid as if Shani's gaze turned them into stone, and immediately, all of them rushed out of the room not ever wanting to cross the Forbidden pilot again. Once he no longer felt their presence nearby, he groaned with maximized irritation when he saw the remnants of his bed.

_Where the hell am I supposed to sleep, on the mattress?_

"Shani-kun…" came a voice holding nothing but bashfulness. It didn't take Shani long to figure out who that was.

"What is it, Stellar?" he questioned lowly as he moved the broken wood and splinters to the side so he could throw them out later. Then he sat down on his mattress and laid back as he watched the ceiling lacking passion. Hearing that he had acknowledgement of her presence, Stellar approached him before sitting beside him. This girl sure liked hanging around him, Shani thought to himself.

"I came back to give you back your stuff…" replied the blond natural as she placed the laptop and the large bag beside him as those objects served as a small barrier.

"Thanks…"

"What else did you buy other than a computer?"

"I brought some stuff…" Shani said back vaguely. "Can you pass me the newspaper?" Nodding to comply, Stellar searched the bag for the designated object and handed it to Shani as he sat up straight. When the Forbidden pilot looked at a section that she had no knowledge of, her curiosity kicked in.

"What kind of article are you reading?" she asked hoping to start a conversation.

"I am actually looking for a job." Shani replied as his concentration all went into the paper.

"A job?" inquired a shocked Stellar. "So soon? We just came here for one day though."

"It's always better to plan ahead," justified the Forbidden pilot as he shifted a little closer to Stellar so he could share the paper with her. The blond girl leaned in and looked at every article and advertisement quickly hoping to find any reasonable job that Shani could be able to do without any degrees. However, she didn't really find any.

"Can't you settle for part time?" asked Stellar.

"That's what I am intending to do but I don't want to be lowlife busboys or people that work in the produce isle in grocery stores. I rather use my time wisely."

"I don't think you could use your time effectively if you only want a part time job."

"I guess not… all of these are asking for store clerks, or labour that could kill you than help you, or be a human coat hanger, or a living decoration, and anything useless in between those lines." Shani stated out loud as Stellar began to giggle cutely. When Shani looked at her again, she was adorable in his eyes.

"If you are looking for a job," she suddenly said catching him a little off guard, "Crot has a lot of experiences with getting a job. He said that he always had a chance to become an employee."

"You don't know half of it, lady," Shani told her with a snicker. "Don't you know that he always messes it up in the interview?" Stellar gently shook her head left and right.

* * *

"So, Buer-san," said the employer behind his desk in his office talking to a fourteen year old Crot who was applying to be a paperboy. "What do you see yourself in five years down the road? A mechanic? A college student? A doctor's assistant? Someone who is in university?" The young Raider pilot was currently deep thought trying to figure the ideal answer.

_Don't say doing your wife… don't say doing your wife…_

"Doing your-" Crot spoke and cursed himself knowing he already messed up in looking for the right words to say. He then hopelessly searched for a diversion or another answer by looking at any object available. It was then when he landed on the picture next to him -which contained a woman, the employer, and his young boy, and then choked out, "…Son…" The employer's eyes widened and Crot already knew the interview was over.

* * *

"Oh, my," said Stellar with her hand over her mouth with her cheeks heating up.

"Yeah," finished Shani as he took a garbage bag and stuffed all the broken wood in there preparing to throw it away. "That is the story."

"How did you two get enlisted in the military then?" she continued asking. The Forbidden pilot would never deny that she was unquestionably persistent. "Did Crot did the same thing?"

"Kind of…" replied the green haired natural uncomfortably.

"How did you guys get hired if you guys pissed off the Captain?"

"That guy could've cared less," he explained exasperatedly, "But of course he kind of threatened Crot that if he valued his genitals, he would not speak of that subject again." Stellar once again did not even know whether she should be blushing hearing it or giggle. The Forbidden pilot knew that confused look, he did find it somewhat amusing talking to Stellar right now. "At the same time, he gave me the same threat."

"Ouch…" That was all she could say. "Shani-kun…"

"What is it?"

"Where are you going to sleep tonight?" she questioned knowing he no longer had a bed no thanks to Cagalli and Dearka.

"Don't worry, I still have my mattress," reassured Shani sincerely as he took out his laptop and placed it on his desk. "You should join the fun outside with the others, Stellar, you don't need to worry yourself with me. I will be fine in here."

"But it's not fun without you out there," Stellar reasoned as she went beside him, "Besides, it's not the same without you."

"I am not a loyal supporter of parties," he told her softly, "It's not really my thing."

"Come on," the blond girl continued to plead as she now held his hand in hers and pulled. "Everyone is out there having fun. You should be with them and enjoy it." To her surprise, Shani only scoffed darkly. This frightened Stellar to a degree, she wondered what was wrong.

"If they actually wanted me to be there," Shani said wanting to spit. "They wouldn't have started the party without me. Where is the heart, Stellar, where is the heart when nobody even bothered to look for me? If they looked for me and told me but I refused, I would still be glad that they had the heart and consideration. Guess what, they did not do a thing and trashed up this place and my bed so I have to sleep on the floor. I am still very frustrated with them, you know that?"

"I'm sorry that I am a bother…" Stellar sniffed with guilt as she looked away from him.

"It's not your fault, Stellar," the one eyed male said as he gave her a gentle hug of support. This time, Stellar's cheeks flushed a bright shade of red that contained nothing but timidity and charm. "It's that Crot Buer and that other coordinator, Yzak… Because of them, I barely slept last night…" He stopped talking when her arms crept up around him and pulled him into a firmer embrace. For someone so closed in, this feeling was so foreign to him but he had to admit it felt welcoming –just like Lacus' kind greeting when they first met.

"Poor thing," the girl whispered involuntarily in his ear. Sensing that soothing feeling, Shani quickly broke their hug with a heavy shade of crimson on his face. Just when the Forbidden pilot wanted to say something, he choked when he saw her innocent smile and her head tilted to the right with the same manner. Why did she do that? Although he wanted to banish those previous thoughts of Stellar, he couldn't despite his actions.

"Ano…" Shani continued to stutter badly as his mind made endless efforts to think of a justifiable excuse, "I will throw this garbage away…" After grabbing the garbage bag, Shani immediately rushed out of his room leaving a frowning Stellar –who really did not want him to go so soon. Giving out a small moan and pout, the magenta eyed girl slowly exited the room to rejoin the others in the living room where Cagalli just beat Athrun for the 3rd time in racing. Once more, she was being a bad winner.

**_(At N.K Collegiate Institute the next morning)_**

To be very honest, learning another language wasn't such a big deal to most of the class since they had knowledge of it from before. Actually, nearly all of them had a background that was not Japanese or Asian. In other words, English was more or less their first language in their lives. This class was seriously a joke to them all, and it wasn't even much of a problem to Kira Yamato. They would've enjoyed it greatly if the teacher –Mr. T. Tanaka- was not such a bore and if the students weren't such suck ups.

As expected, Kira sat next to Lacus in the middle–who kept looking at him whenever the opportunity was present-; Athrun chose to sit next to the grumpy Cagalli –but she kept smiling when she found out Athrun was paying more attention to her than the teacher-; Dearka sat beside Miriallia –who did not have the heart to simply reject his decision but she found out he wasn't bad at all as her seat partner-; Yzak sat beside Crot and talked about games, stunts, and mischief; and lastly Stellar was beside Shani. Despite that they all sat with their preferred friends, they were bored out of their minds as the teacher started yapping again like a machine for the third time in half an hour.

Kira did not know whether this teacher was a natural being grown from boredom or over passionate about Shakespearean literature. Tanaka was explaining about Act 3 Scene 1 of Hamlet for the third time today about the major importance of his soliloquy. For crying to the forbidden angels of hell, explaining it once was enough, why couldn't he just realize that people do get bored overtime. Even if they did want to protest, their retarded class seemed to be fascinated by his words. Taking a short glimpse of his friends, the Freedom pilot's eyes narrowed when he found out they were deathly fed up. Even the supportive Lacus gave a small, unnoticeable yawn wanting to fall asleep on his shoulder.

Yzak seriously did not give a damn, and a scowl of disgust never left his face after the second explanation. At the same time, Tanaka detected the negative aura emitted from the Duel pilot. From the expression on his face, the adult knew Yzak was pissed. However, in Tanaka's opinion, he simply believed Yzak was disrespecting him and his teachings.

"Mr Jule," the teacher spoke with a light slam on the Duel pilot's desk. Crot leveled his head a little bit due to the shock but Yzak cared less as his face turned into a confident smirk. "Can you explain to me what you are doing right now?"

"I am just sitting here, Tanaka-sensei," Yzak spoke with a high level of sarcasm; especially the sensei part.

"What about that look of yours? Are you mocking the great art of Shakespeare?"

"I wouldn't dare do that," the gray hair coordinator spoke again with utmost mockery and fake respect. At this point, the remaining 24 students were turned their attention to him. "It's just that I find your teachings way too… passionate for my taste." Some students –more or less Yzak's friends- began to chuckle and Dearka even silently cheered in his mind since Yzak's words were the exact feelings in his mind.

"Too passionate?" Tanaka questioned in disbelief and mistrust.

"In simpler terms, sensei, you are very boring." No one had ever said that to him right in front of his face or in front of the entire class. At that second, the teacher was undoubtedly enraged.

"This is your very first class, and you are already being so rude! Yzak Jule, I think you are asking for a detention, mister." That did not even faze the Duel pilot for he merely continued.

"And I think you lost your virginity to mechanical bulls." Yzak retorted sharply before snickering again. By this time, the classroom erupted with raw laughter. Although most of the students were terrible sucks, they couldn't control their chuckles and giggles when such a devastating insult was given to the teacher. Certainly –to everyone's knowledge- this did not happen everyday and damn hell they would cherish it.

Class ended very soon that day.

_**(At the Cafeteria during lunch time)**_

"I think you lost your virginity to mechanical bulls?" questioned Athrun still chuckling as he took a fry and dipped it in the gravy before his tongue tasted the satisfying salty flavour. "Man, you got him good, Yzak." The Duel pilot was not one bit impressed by Athrun's words. Instead, he merely grinned cockily.

"Do you think you went too far though?" asked Lacus kindly to Yzak as she received her cheeseburger from Kira.

"It's not like we liked him that much," justified the Duel pilot easily. "I am sure that one of you would've said something but I am just honourable enough to do this for you all."

"You and your honourable stuff again…" Athrun scoffed as he took a sip of soda.

"Still…" the songstress said still a little guilty that the teacher received such a blow. To make it worse, Yzak was more than likely to be transferred to another class. Even though Lacus did not know Yzak exceptionally well, she had to say they weren't strangers either. They have met another at times and the Duel pilot could be quite the gentleman when he was ordered to do so.

"Don't worry about it," said Dearka finishing his burger. "Nothing's going to happen." He then silently stole a fry from Miriallia's plate without the girl looking. Unfortunately, Miriallia slapped his hand before he got it successfully to his mouth. To emphasize Dearka's defeat greater, the brown haired natural slowly tasted it with much pleasure before slowly swallowing down her throat. Dearka watched her with a jaw drop, why did she have to make it so much for him to bare? It was only a fry, as Dearka said, couldn't she spare one? Not even one?

Seeing him so desperate, Cagalli sighed before offering one of her fries on her plate. When Dearka saw it, he had no interest in it for he only wanted to make Miriallia pay some attention to him. Of course, despite the fact that he failed, he still had fun. "I don't need your fry, Cagalli." Dearka told her but to everyone's surprise, the Orb princess misunderstood his meaning.

"Look!" the blond twin exclaimed angrily as she stood up from her seat and stomped one foot on the table roughly. Crot –at this moment- wasterrified to the core. "You were so anxious for a fry a second ago, and now I give it to you, you don't want it! Is it because I touched it? Just because I took this fry with my fingers, it doesn't mean it is diseased you know!" By this time, a vast majority of the students stopped whatever they would doing and turned around. Some of them were amused; others watched with pure shock; and the rest were very scared.

"Cagalli…" whispered Athrun in a hiss not believing what Cagalli was doing. "Get down from there."

"I still haven't settled the score from yesterday!" declared Cagalli ignoring Athrun and Kira, "Without Shani here, you are going down!" Dearka's eyes widened when the Orb princess actually used the other foot on the table and prepared to dash at the Buster pilot at full speed. Even if he had coordinator reflexes, there was no possible way to evade when the place was naturally crowded. Dearka simply prepared the worst.

However, Cagalli yelped when someone forcefully made a firm grip on the helm of her shirt and yanked her back down to her seat. Miriallia gasped with relief knowing someone saved Dearka from endless torment, where as Cagalli immediately flashed a glare to whoever pulled that stunt on her. However, she silenced when she saw Kira's stern eyes looking intently into hers. The Orb princess gulped knowing that was one face that she couldn't deal with, Kira's solemnity meant business.

"Kira…" growled Cagalli still frustrated that she couldn't even lay a punch on Dearka.

"What are you even doing, Cagalli?" questioned the Freedom pilot wanting an answer and no excuses. "Don't make such a scene in a public facility. Look at the people around us, come on, this world does not revolve around you only."

"I know that!" hissed the girl seething her words so only the gang could hear her.

"Then act like it. You are freaking the others out, okay?"

"Fine! I will spare Dearka then."

"And everyone else." Kira pressured on. The girl had no choice but to give in.

"Fine! Everyone else, too, okay?" Lacus, seeing that Cagalli had calmed down, knew exactly what to do.

"Hello, everyone," she said nervously giving a bow but the slightest lack of confidence was barely detectable, "The problem is solved now… There is nothing to see. I am very sorry that we have disturbed your lunch period, please continue what you were doing before. Thank you so much!" The songstress wiped a bit of sweat as she turned back around. Athrun gave her a good pat on the back for giving off such a good improvised act.

"You do know that I am listening to you because you are my little brother, you know that?" questioned Cagalli eyeing Kira a little bit before giving off a smile.

"Judging from what you did, I wouldn't surprised that you are the younger one, Cagalli," replied the Freedom pilot giving a snort. Athrun nodded to agree, and so did the others. Cagalli just felt defeated but kept her pride nonetheless.

"There is no way you are older than me."

_**(Meanwhile in the Computer Labs in the Library)**_

'_From the looks of things…'_ thought Shani to himself as he searched the web for job info, _'Looking for a good job is definitely hard. I wonder if there are really no opportunities for me to look for a good job.'_ He sighed wearily as he searched for another site by clicking on the mouse. _'Damn it… do I seriously have to finish school like a loser? From what I can see, Crot and Yzak would make a living hell out of my life if I continue to stay there. In just one blasted day, I already have to sleep on a mattress without the bed support. Those bastards –especially Crot- never ceases to tick me off…' _Unexpectedly, he suddenly found something that could be some use. He wondered why he did not notice it until now.

"What's this?" he asked himself as he darted his mouse to the link. His eye showed a high level of surprise when he actually found a job that he could actually apply to. However, this was an advertisement made by ZAFT. In other words, this was application to join the military. Memories of pain soon consumed his mind as he just remembered needing to wear that blue uniform that designated him to be a living CPU until the war was over, Shani gritted his teeth knowing what kind of hell he went through in order to survive. He was cast aside like an object, and he only received minimal attention when any executive officer came to them having an order from Azrael. As if fighting Freedom and Justice were already hard enough, they were treated badly when they desperately needed time to recover.

Shani did not want to read the application form, but yet his curiosity disobeyed his will and scrolled down a little bit as he began reading the requirements. However, he did decide to read what was ZAFT's purpose for needing

"It is very fortunate to know that PLANT and earth finally have a time of understanding, we all hope that peace can continue to remain as long as humanity exists." Shani read to himself but a snicker came across his lips knowing what kind of cheesy line that was. "Regardless of the war is over, PLANT does wish all people to remember the tragedies both sides received and prevent all these events to ever happen again. In order to do so, ZAFT welcomes all people to enlist into the ZAFT military to protect the peace that was so hard to obtain. Also, picture it as a new start for yourselves and the future. Do it for the sake of the future so such tragedies would not need to occur ever again, use your power to the fullest for together we are strong…"

Shani didn't even bother finishing the rest of the paragraph. Whoever wrote this really made him laugh. In fact, it was the most cheesy piece of crap he had ever read. Who would be convinced by this? Advertising must use logic and skill, not emotional persuasion. Even though it was cheesy, Shani continued down to the requirements to be enlisted. He could sign up as a student and work his way up by going through training, or he could already apply as someone experienced. There was no way that he would become a lame trainee; he didn't have that kind of time to waste. Obviously, his eyes traveled down to the other part of the form to apply for higher ranks.

'_Okay…'_ the Forbidden pilot said in his head_, 'Age does not truly matter in this case… what they require you to have is experience in battles, years of experience in the military, leadership, skills with basic machinery, and most importantly mobile suit or mobile armour experience?_'

Shani was sure surprised as he read each requirement vaguely. He wasn't expecting this last qualification at all, and he just kept pondering if he had what was needed to become better than just normal soldiers. He was enlisted in the military ever since he was 15 –and he was 18 now-, trained with machines and mobile suits, became the pilot of a GATX model suit, his logic dominated his persuasion, and Shani just couldn't think of anything that didn't make him qualified enough. This was the ideal opportunity for him to live out life right, and despite him being a soldier again; all he needed to do was to set things in the correct path.

As he finalized everything, his eyes cringed when they required a phone number to contact them. Shani had a bank card, health card, passport, library card, credit card, but what he did not know was his own telephone number for his apartment. At the same time, he cursed when he also lacked a cell phone. Although it was not a mandatory, anyone would've known that this was strongly advised. How hard could it be to get a cell phone, there were so many stores that sold those phones in the district he was in yesterday. After finding there were no further problems, he saved this form into his floppy disk before making a print out. When school was over, he would make plans to get a monthly plan for his cellular phone.

When he looked at his watch after slipping his application forms into his backpack, his right eye opened up when the watch said 12:50PM. He was already five minutes late for class! Fortunately for him, it was only his gym class yet he didn't want to make a bad impression for the first day although there was a high chance that he would never return. Regardless, he cursed out loud before taking off to the gymnasium as fast as his legs could carry his slender and fit body.

_**(After school somewhat over two hours later)**_

'_No Crot… no Yzak… no Athrun, no Kira…'_ the Forbidden pilot thought as he left alone through the front entrance of the school with a grin plastered on his face as he looked left and right. _'Looks like it's clear sailing from here… I don't want those guys to bug in my business.' _Shani walked casually through the crowds and groups of people not caring about any one of them, why did he need to obligate himself to do such a thing? He then took out his application form again to check if there were anything that he personally needed to do some more research on before he send it by email. He grinned knowing that nothing was wrong and proceeded with his plan.

"Shani," he congratulated himself with rare zeal, "You are a genius. Your plan to leave earlier than those other people was a great way to isolate yourself. Now, they wouldn't suspect anything!"

"Shani-kun," a voice called his name which made him stop in his tracks. It didn't take any wise person to identify who that was.

_Crap._

"What are you doing here, Stellar?" questioned Shani with a high degree of panic.

"What were you talking about just now, Shani-kun?" Stellar asked him innocently as she took a several steps to get right in front of him. "What's that in your hand?" The one eyed natural instantly panicked while shoving his form back into his bag pretending that he wasn't carrying anything. Stellar had both hands behind her back as she leaned down a bit to observe his actions to a closer depth. She knew he was hiding something.

"Nothing, nothing," he replied back very hesitantly as in a hurry, "It's nothing!"

"What were you talking about just now?" she asked as she took another step closer. If she was tiptoeing now, she would be able to kiss him. What amazed the Forbidden pilot was that how did Stellar do all this without blushing or feeling any shame, she was shocking.

"I wasn't planning any conspiracy," Shani told her in the calmest voice possible as they both started to walk towards another district, "It takes two people to plot a conspiracy, so you can't sue me for planning anything evil! I am warning you, Stellar," he then moved one step back. "I didn't do it! I didn't do it!"

"I didn't accuse you of anything…" she said timidly as she rested herself an inch closer like a school girl in love with her crush.

"Good, good. Let's leave it at that."

"Why are you hanging out here by yourself, Shani-kun? Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah…"

"Why aren't you going with the group then?"

"I don't want to get all of them involved with my own personal stuff. It wouldn't be fair to them…"

"What are you looking for then, Shani?" Stellar asked again with endearment and charm.

"I am actually searching for a cell phone," replied the green haired natural, "I suppose it would be easier in the long run." By this time, he noticed that he was already near the shopping district. At the same time, why was Stellar with him? "Don't you have a place to go, Stellar?"

"No," she said back happily, "I barely have any work today."

"So?"

"So I want to help you."

"You really don't need to, you know that?" asked Shani sighing silently.

"But I want to," she said back not giving in to Shani's words. The Forbidden pilot only grunted to himself knowing the girl wasn't going to leave that easily. At the same time, he wouldn't simply ditch her in a place that was so unknown to her. As the green haired natural thought about it, having Stellar around wasn't all that bad, she was a good friend to a degree, and it did beat walking around by himself.

When Shani gave her a nod in agreement, Stellar brightened immediately and kept up the pace with her sempai. He did not know how she did it but her presence made his day somehow just so much more welcoming. As the two naturals continued to do some window shopping, they didn't know that they got themselves within a shopping centre. In other words, they were in a mall. Shani suddenly saw a girl with short dark magenta hair talking to her friend happily in front of him. She was a mere 10 meters away, and that other guy looked around a year younger than the girl. Furthermore, he had black hair and creepy red-violet eyes. He reminded Shani of a vampire –and Yamato.

Normally, Shani would not care about what other strangers were talking about in their conversations since it wasn't his business. However, since that violet haired girl was speaking quite loudly, it was difficult not to hear her. From her words, she was quite happy to be able shop on earth since PLANT did not have some of the merchandise that she truly wanted. Stellar and Shani figured that girl must be from PLANT and her friend was more than likely to be no exception. Just as the two naturals were going to do their own thing, the coordinator girl slipped despite her reflexes and abilities.

Despite Shani being a natural, he actually had good reflexes and speed due to the insane amount of dosage of the Gripheptan. To put it in simpler terms, he was quick. As the girl stumbled a several steps forward before her face would personally have an acquaintance with the polished mall floor, fortunately, Shani rushed in front of her and put his hands in a position that her shoulders would fall safely in his hands. Much to his disbelief, since the girl took another small step for a millisecond, her shoulders weren't the part that made contact with Shani's hands… Instead, her pair of sizeable breasts landed perfectly in it. Shani's hands served as an ideal cup, and damn hell he knew he was screwed.

The vampuric looking boy shrieked in a sudden gasp as his face showed nothing but fright.

Stellar's face reddened as she put her hands in front of her mouth to control her jealousy and stun.

Shani did not say a word or moved a muscle. Underneath all that hair, his forehead was beginning to generate terror sweat while wondering what would happen to him in less than minute. He was so scared that he did not dare to move at all.

The coordinator girl simply blushed a deep red for a good ten seconds -in Shani's warm, firm chest- with her face rivaling the colour of strawberries before she forcefully retracted away. She panted and gasped heavily and embarrassingly not ever believing that such a humiliating thing could happen to her. No one touched her breasts in her entire life! She then glared at Shani angrily along with a strong, evident hostility. Her blue eyes displayed no other than rage.

"Lunamaria…" whispered the black haired boy wanting to know if his friend was okay.

"Shut up, Shinn…" hissed the coordinator girl by the name of Lunamaria with her right hand flinching and twitching. Unbelievable to Shani, Lunamaria walked up to him slowly, and each footstep to his ears contained a deep sense of dread. The Forbidden pilot was nervous but at the same time he could not imagine how soft breasts truly were. In spite of his current circumstance, his hormones were taking control of his mind and only able to recall that soothing feeling. Shani knew he should not be imagining these things, he cursed his hormones with the darkest, most insulting words that he could think of, yet it wasn't enough. "You…"

"…" The Forbidden pilot was literally mute at this point.

"Do not EVER allow me to meet you on the streets again, you hear me!" Lunamaria shouted loudly so every bystander could hear her. "You per-" Shinn quickly shut her mouth by putting a hand over it so Lunamaria did not need to yell anymore. Although the coordinator girl struggled for a few moments, she knew that Shinn was only doing her a favour. She already lost a lot of face but letting some nobody touching her forbidden areas, and yelling like a wild, frenzied bitch would not do any good for her. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I don't want to see you again. Got it?"

With that said, Lunamaria stomped off angrily away from Shani and Stellar with Shinn following her tail quietly. "I am really sorry for this…" Shinn apologized for Lunamaria in a whisper, "Please don't take it personally, okay?" Before the Forbidden pilot could even respond, Lunamaria make a loud knowing cough.

"Shinn?" she questioned him immediately, which made the vampuric male stiffen before he caught up with her. As they were no longer within Shani's sight range, the Forbidden pilot finally loosened all the pressure within himself and sighed heavily. His hand were still twitching nervously but frantically, he did not know what the hell just happened, it was like bliss but nothing close to pleasurable.

"You felt them in depth, didn't you?" questioned Stellar with a sad frown and pout.

"No, of course not!" the one eyed natural nearly yelled out loud.

"Shani-kun is a pervert…" she said sadly before walking ahead of him.

"Stellar, Stellar! You are misunderstanding me!" Shani had no choice but to run after her. How did things become this troublesome? "Stellar, wait!"

_Kuso… _

_**(Four days later at the Spaceport)**_

"Well, looks like this is farewell," said Shani to the gang as he placed his blue cap on his head. "I really do wish that I could have stayed here longer… but it looked like PLANT really was in a hurry for experienced soldiers." Cagalli, Lacus, Miriallia, and especially Stellar were not taking all this too well. Just when things were finally going better at school and in life, they did not expect that Shani would just leave like this so unexpectedly. Although they did not know another for a long time, they sure felt like family.

"You punk!" shouted Crot, "You went applying as a soldier when all of us has been working hard in school? Shani, man, how could you ditch us like this when all of us are having a new beginning with another? Come on, please reconsider."

"Sorry, Crot," replied the green haired boy apologetically, "I need to get things right this time… and I do not believe that school is the path for me to fulfill my… wishes."

"You know what," said Yzak cutting in the conversation, "Why is PLANT not telling Dearka, Athrun, or myself to return to PLANT if they actually need people up there?"

"Yeah," agreed Dearka with the Duel pilot's statement completely. "PLANT is our home, we are supposed to help whenever we can despite our circumstances. Shani, we are going to come with you, we can't stay here like this if they actually need our assistance."

"Oh, please don't," the Forbidden pilot stated against their actions, "I was wondering about that myself when I sent them my application by email. In my reply, I found out that Ezaria Jule ordered that the Crusset squad pilots not to step in with political matters at the moment."

"Why not?" questioned Yzak flashing a stare when he heard his mother's name being mentioned.

"I don't know… but from what I can gather, she wants her child and his squad to simply discard everything that has relevance to the war and take time to recover. I do not know what her true intentions are, but I do believe that her decision is for the best for all of us."

"But you are one of us, Andras-san," argued Lacus sadly trying to persuade him to stay. "You don't have to do this and become a soldier…"

"I was nothing but an EAF living CPU," explained Shani with a small grin, "I basically was the force that made this war escalate into further realms, and I did not make a difference at all. Maybe guilt is telling me to do this, but at the same time, I feel that it's the right thing for me. I may be a soldier, but no longer a killing machine, not someone who gets ordered around like a piece of trash. I will be making a difference, trust me."

"I believe you!" cheered Cagalli suddenly as she took Shani's hand and held it with tight passion. Kira and Athrun saw that Shani flinched when the Orb princess' force crushed his hands. "You said to us yesterday that you would be a good Lieutenant, right?" He nodded still with his left eye showing he was experiencing pain. "During this week that I have known you, you are one mature, reliable, trustworthy person who can do this job no problem. You can do it, I know you can. Crot has light years to be able to keep up with you."

"HEY!" the Raider pilot yelled hearing an insult. "I am still here, you know!"

"We all believe in you," continued Cagalli supportively as she patted his shoulders. Shani simply smiled a smile that he had not made in a long while, that made the princess happier in less than an instant.

"Speak for yourself, Cagalli," scoffed Yzak not caring at all but Dearka jabbed him with his elbow to shut him up.

"Take care of yourself up there, okay?" Kira said with a sad smile. "Don't make any mistakes that we all have made in the past, Shani-san." Not knowing what to truly say, the Forbidden pilot just took Kira's hand and gave it a friendly shake. Athrun also followed suit.

"Despite that we may have been enemies before," Athrun told him, "I wish you the best of luck up there. We all would want to see you alive."

"Thanks, Zala," replied Shani giving off a dark chuckle, "I never would've expected such words of encouragement to come from you."

"Are you still holding a grudge on me?" the Justice pilot amusedly asked Shani with a snicker around his lips.

"Of course not," the Forbidden pilot said back still carrying that grin before he stole a glance at Stellar -who was quiet for the entire time ever since she finally found out what Shani had been planning for these several days. Shani did not even want to remember the details of yesterday night that involved Stellar for she wept, pleaded, argued, and used all sort of emotional reasons for Shani to stay. To put a long story really short, it took a very lengthy amount of time until Stellar finally compromised. Yet, the magenta eyed girl still wasn't too willing to agree.

"You got something to tell him?" asked Crot knowing Stellar always admired Shani like a little sister would to a successful older brother.

"Come on," urged the Buster pilot giving Stellar a gentle nudge, "Or you won't have the chance later on when he is up at PLANT."

"Yeah," Yzak added smirking again with no notion of friendliness but mockery, "Your girlfriend has something to share with you, Shani Andras." Stellar flushed up at that second hearing the word girlfriend and Shani in the same sentence. The Forbidden pilot did not find any amusement in those words that came from the Duel pilot. After one week of knowing another, he kind of figured Yzak was a negative, sadistic, dark, and insulting person. The best example had to the virginity comment he made earlier that week. When Shani –or practically anyone else- recalled it, they couldn't help themselves but to crack up a smile.

"Ignore him, Stellar," the Forbidden pilot told her as he motioned her to continue, "Is there anything you want to say to me?" The blond haired natural hesitated as she still maintained those shades of timidity on her cheeks. Stellar didn't have something specific that she really wanted to tell him but yet she indeed did want to talk to him before he left. Without thinking any other possibilities, she quickly tiptoed to his height before she kissed himcaringly on the right cheek as her gift for him.

Crot jerked with stun; Cagalli, Lacus, and Miriallia gasped like school girls who were witnessing the cutest guy in school being kissed by a girl; Yzak wanted to cough and vomit seeing such an act; Dearka did not find it sick at all for he would want to get kisses from girls; and finally, Kira and Athrun just stood shocked. Once Stellar pulled back, she blushed slightly remembering that others were here. However, she didn't truly mind that much when she found out that he was smiling.

"Sorry… Shani-kun…" Stellar wanted to justify her actions for she knew better than to kiss Shani like that. "I… I just… I just…"

"It's okay, Stellar," said Shani as he hugged her very lightly but Stellar felt as if her heart had finally going through serenity and happiness. "Thank you very much for your… uh…"

"You're welcome," she responded very sweetly with a cute smile. "Be the best commander ever, okay?"

"I hope so."

"Where are you sitting in the shuttle, Shani?" asked Lacus kindly with her genuine smile.

"I don't know… the ticket said that row 23, seat C, in the second class."

"Is it time to go yet?" Cagalli inquired taking a look at her watch. "Isn't your flight at 10 AM? It's already 9:45?" Shani hurriedly checked his watch and found out that the Orb princess wasn't lying. With only fifteen minutes to spare, he had to leave quickly. After giving Stellar another hug, Crot another good brotherly embrace, handshakes with everyone –other than Yzak who acted as if he did not give at all-, Shani bid another farewell before he lowered his cap a little more and turned towards the entrance to his shuttle.

Within a several minutes, the Forbidden pilot finally made it inside the shuttle, and the first thing he did was to find his seat on the ship after putting his suitcase in the designated area where everyone else's luggage was. Once he found his seat, he noticed that the one next to him was still empty –and he thought he was late enough already. Shani could've cared less knowing that whoever that person may be, he or she would show up eventually. As far as he knew how society worked, the cost of riding in a shuttle did not come cheap. Placing his headphones in his ears, Shani soon slouched slightly in his seat as the music flooded in his ears and mind. After closing his eyes in a tired fashion, Shani allowed his entire body to rest peacefully for the first time this week –Crot and Yzak were not the most ideal roommates if complaining was a strong force in their blood.

_**(Meanwhile)**_

"So," said Lunamaria as she, Shinn, and Meyrin made it to the second class section, "How was earth?"

"I loved it!" exclaimed Meyrin, Lunamaria's younger sister, "You can't believe how much things I have brought! I got to come down here again when we have another vacation."

"Easy for you to say," Shinn said with a bored tone, "You used at least half of my money for your merchandise, Meyrin…"

"Oh, you know I didn't bring enough," Meyrin pouted with puppy eyes, "You should be helping your good friend when she is in need, Shinn."

"But you spent over thirty thousand yen on your stuff…"

"Fine, I will pay you back, okay?"

"Nah," Shinn told her shaking that subject off, "Just think of it as my present for you, Meyrin."

"Really?" questioned the younger coordinator girl happily like a little child.

"Really."

"Hey, Shinn," said Lunamaria in a very knowingly sweet voice as she swayed her hips before approaching the male coordinator, "Where is my present? You know I like to accept gifts, too."

"Luna… I…" Shinn choked nervously when Lunamaria's eyes tightened slowly to intimidate him. "I… I… I…"

"Well, you gave my sister thirty thousand yen worth of presents, it is only fair that you give me something too, right?" Shinn promptly nodded despite Luna's logic may not necessarily be correct. However, due to the fact that her eyes were doing all the work, Shinn had no will to fight back. "So, where is my present? You can't just favour Meyrin more… unless you like her…" Shinn instantly blushed.

"No, that's not it!" he protested flailing his arms.

"Then what?"

"It's just that… it's just that I don't want Meyrin to be sad…"

"You don't like my sister, Shinn?" Lunamaria suddenly changed the subject. The male coordinator felt more hopeless as each question came out from the older Hawke's mouth, she wouldn't stop killing him until she got what she wanted. Without any option, Shinn had to give in.

"Luna!" Meyrin whispered with a thick blush, "Don't say such things…"

"Luna, fine, I will buy you something when we get back. Better yet, I will buy you dinner too!" Miraculously to Shinn, Lunamaria began to laugh, he did not understand what she found to be so funny. After ten seconds of pleasurable laughter, the girl just smiled.

"I was kidding, Shinn," she told him in a sisterly way, "You don't need to buy me anything. If it upset you so much, I will pay you back later on, okay?"

"Forget it, Luna. I will buy you dinner when we go back home, it will be my gift to you… you know, so both you and Meyrin received something."

"I thank you then," Lunamaria replied in a grateful voice, "Hey, Shinn, do you know our seats?" Hearing her question, the vampuric coordinator quickly reached his shirt pocket and took out their ripped tickets.

"Well, it says that I got row 23, seats E. You got D, and Meyrin has F."

"It shouldn't be too hard to find those seats," commented the dark magenta haired coordinator as she took on the lead. When she found her seat thirty seconds later, she was surprised that someone was already here before her. When she looked at her watch, Lunamaria did not notice that it was already that late. Luckily, the shuttle did not lift off yet, or she would be really screwed. "Hello…" she greeted to the passenger on the C seat with a blue cap.

"Hi…" his response came dully as she saw headphones in his ears.

"Is this row 23 seat D?" asked Lunamaria a little slowly as if she was observing him without him knowing.

_He looks familiar… green hair like wasabi… where have I met someone with green hair?_

"Yeah," replied the green haired male as he turned his head to face her. At that instant, Lunamaria shrieked with disbelief when she suddenly recalled who this person was. Green hair that was long enough to cover his left eye, his right eye was violet, she could not believe this was happening to her!

When Shani finally gave her a complete but queer look, his mind kept on attempting to remember who this girl may be. She had short dark magenta hair, a rare kind of blue eyes, her chest was quite appealing, and then it hit him like a mobile suit travelling at full speed before colliding into a wall and exploded. Suddenly, he felt scared.

_No, it couldn't be her…_

"You…" hissed the coordinator girl as she leveled her right hand pointing accusingly.

"Lady, let me explain-" Shani tried to reason in a desperate hurry but she cut him off abruptly.

"You're that guy that groped me in the mall!"

_**AN: I apologize for this cliffhanger in such an early state in my story. For those who know how I write, or know what my writing style is like, you should know I make numerous of cliffs –but not all the time or I get gunned down by those readers who received assault weapons last Christmas from me. Thank you all for your honest reviews, they seriously helped me to write better… or more efficiently… or they simply gave me the persistence to continue. Nonetheless, thank you so much. **_

_**I hope you all liked this Shani centered chapter, believe it or not, he is my favorite character in Gundam Seed, and Lunamaria is my favorite female character in Destiny. I pray that you guys liked how Shinn and Lunamaria entered this story, somehow, I just had no other ideas of doing it nicely. If I did do it in a coordinated manner, I think that would be too smooth. Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter of mine, hopefully I could get the other pairings well constructed in the future chapters. I will see you all next chapter, thanks again for reading!**_


	3. Life Goes On

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_**Chapter 3: Life Goes On.**_

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed. Not now, not ever.

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts, they can also be in italics

Scenario changes are listed in bolded italic brackets.

**_AN: Sorry for this late update, my excuse would be… I was lazy, and other things in reality somehow caught onto me as if tomorrow would never come. Toronto, Canada, has a very bad tendency to do that. Rather, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) never ceases to leave their students alone! Sorry for ranting. I don't want to waste anyone's time anymore, I will go onto a Q&A Period to those who asked me a several questions about my story, or about me specifically. Here goes._**

**Question and Answer Period! Note, I will not repeat your question, you have to remember what you asked me.**

**_MissKT:_** This story is not just focused on Shani, although I could. However, I do need to get his relations out of the way for his plotline is the hardest for me to write. Fluff and plot are completely different issues.

**_KiraxLacus:_** Your question amuses me. If you want to add my story to your C2, just do it. Why bother asking me? I can't stop you from adding stuff to your C2, and if you think my story is something that could be C2ed potential, then go right on ahead. I am in not position to tell you what to do, nor do I have an obligation to care about it that much.

**_Ruler of the Dark:_** How can I write that much in one chapter, you ask? It's easy. Just think of things to write, ponder a lot about it, and it all depends on the amount of characters there are and how much of their character you want to show. If a specific character is really fun to write, naturally, you have lots to describe about.

**_Mizue-chan:_** I knew Yzak was also very good in the military, but what fun would that be if I made him so skilled? Yeah, I altered it slightly, but I don't think that would be something drastically significant in the long run. If it would, then I am really screwed. Thanks for reviewing.

Special thanks to my reviewers:_ jasx316, Angel of Dreams, MissKT, asga, Mick, sworDieXeQtion, KiraxLacus, xxravenwingxx, Ruler of the dark, TMoon, D.D Designator, C-town Chica, WOW, Mizue-chan, ZGMF-24S, and Dragon's Rage_. Your words made my day that much better! Thanks again for reviewing.

**_(On the Shuttle)_**

"Lady," Shani spoke in the most relaxed manner he could without cracking his voice –with terror as his source of fuel. "Please don't misunderstand me…"

"I don't think that there is anything for me to misunderstand," Lunamaria replied with venom dripping all over her voice, "Pervert-san, you know you have been stalking me! Don't deny it!"

"Are you crazy?" the Forbidden pilot nearly shouted. "How dare you call me pervert-san!"

"I am not crazy, you're the one who groped me by the breasts." Shani's face reddened once he recalled that incident. He was a guy, and feeling a beautiful girl's noticeable breasts was something that only happened in a lifetime. Although he did believe it was lecherous, he couldn't deny that it felt surprisingly good. In spite of that, he wouldn't dare do it again.

"It was an accident."

"Sure it was an accident, pervert-san," Lunamaria stated back obviously not taking Shani's reason as legitimate. "After touching me, all men would say that it was just an accident."

"But I mean it, lady!" pleaded Shani signaling her to sit down knowing that the shuttle would take off anytime. "That incident would not happen again." The magenta haired coordinator eyed him suspiciously before slowly sitting down and buckling her seat belt. Her eyes never left him –especially his hands- for one second. When Shani tried to smile or even give off a grin, he was silenced when those fiery blue eyes were glaring fiercely.

"Don't try to be all Mister-Nice-Guy with me, pervert-san," she warned with a pointing finger, "I am on to you…"

"I won't touch you, okay?" Shani stated with exasperation. "I have a name you know."

"I don't care!" Lunamaria snapped back giving a pout and looking away.

"Anyway, my name is Shani," the green haired one eyed natural said regardless of her temper. "Shani Andras."

"What a nice name for a pervert," that comment surely made Shani cringe.

"What's yours then, lady?" Shani tried really hard not to be angry.

"I am not giving my name to a pervert," she said again this time with a grin before she completely ignored him. Seeing that there was no point in even having a conversation, Shani placed his headphones back into his ears before his J-Pop music swarmed his mind. After closing his eyes, a smile formed on his face when he could finally treasure the long lost of deep sleep. Lunamaria gave him another look before the announcement regarding lifting off came on the PA system. The coordinator had to admit that Shani was very handsome only if he wasn't a pervert in her eyes.

At long last, the shuttle lifted off for PLANT.

**_(Later on, back at the apartment)_**

"What can we do now?" asked Lacus to the entire gang in Yzak's apartment living room. When the beautiful songstress took a look at her friends, she frowned when she actually noticed how different it was without Shani around. "None of us really have any homework, and it's a Saturday…"

"We could just sit here and vegetate," suggested Crot promptly as if that was the best answer.

"I'd say we stay home and relax," Dearka insisted pushing Crot's offer to the side.

"How about we go out?" Athrun inquired hopefully.

"Where to?" asked Kira as he poured himself a good cup of cola and then pouring one for Lacus. Cagalli glared at Kira when he didn't give her a cup, and therefore the Freedom pilot quickly gave her his cup before his sister did anything drastic. When Cagalli found herself possessing the drink, she smiled with glee before consuming it all down, and then sighed so pleasantly that Kira couldn't help but feel jealous.

"Anyone got any ideas?" Miriallia asked. When no one seemed to be answering, the former CIC suddenly remembered that they haven't been here for too long and today was their first day to actually have some free time on their hands. They all had been doing the same thing for three days straight, it was not a surprise that none of them had actually studied this place in much detail.

"Shani-kun would have known where to go…" Stellar suddenly said sadly as her eyes just looked at the ground with her feet twirling a little like a little girl. Crot grunted in his seat hearing Shani's name coming from Stellar again today. Ever since he left two hours ago, Stellar had not said much. And when she did actually speak words, it would involve Shani in some way. For crying to the heavens, if she liked him so much, Stellar should've just went with him to the shuttle and the two would live happily ever after.

To put it in simpler terms, Crot could not stand this. What was so good about Shani that he did not possess? Shani piloted the Forbidden Gundam, he piloted Raider. Shani was a tough pilot, he was zealous. Shani had one violet eye, the other one blue, and Crot also had great, appealing blue eyes. The Forbidden pilot had mid-length green hair in a mysterious fashion, where as Crot had a comb-over. So, with these factors at a stalemate, Crot did not understand what the problem was? Why wasn't he as good as Shani?

"Yeah," agreed Cagalli with a sigh escaping her lips.

"I got an idea!" exclaimed Lacus suddenly. Yzak raised a brow at her exuberance, he didn't understand what she would be so happy about. As far as he was concerned, anything that was associated with fun should not be regarded with such joy and passion. Dearka –on the other hand- seemed to be pleased with Lacus' delightful nature. Even during the war, the songstress always had smiles on her face as frequent as possible. The Buster pilot sometimes envied how optimistic and positive she was, he just wish he could be like that too at times.

"What, Lacus?" Kira inquired kindly with a smile. "What is this big plan you got?"

"It better not be a party…" commented Athrun as he laid down on his back with his hand around Cagalli's narrow waist knowingly. The Orb princess gave out a small squeak when she could feel her skin being soothed by the coordinator's touches, she never knew he was this good. However, her pride won over and she shifted a little so she could be out of his reach. Yet, she couldn't believe the cold and lonely feeling without him at her side.

"I agree with a party!" Crot cheered for this proposal. "We should have a GT4 tournament this time! We can have a huge competition!"

"I don't think so…" Yzak stated while destroying any of Crot's hopes, "That last one wasn't all out successful, remember?"

"That was just Shani!" objected the Raider pilot. "He was the one who spoiled it."

"No," interrupted Stellar defending the Forbidden pilot, "It was Dearka and Cagalli that spoiled it." Knowing Cagalli, she did not like getting blamed for she blamed herself over a lot of things –especially the incident in Orb. Dearka, however, accepted the fault knowing that he made Shani's room into a realm of chaos.

"You mean the bed incident?" questioned Miriallia giving the blond dancer a look. "I guessed that they did kind of overdid it a bit… I never seen him this angry before."

"It was all Dearka's fault," Cagalli immediately shifted the blame to the Buster pilot and giving herself all the innocence that this world could provide. Dearka instantly gave her a ridicule expression.

"Who's the one with the temper problem?" Dearka stated easily with a cocky sneer. "If you actually gave some thought to my words, you would've known I was only joking."

"You taking me for a fool, Dearka Elthman?" It was no doubt the Orb princess's rage was boiling within.

"You are the one who chased me."

"You ran away!"

"Because you were about to kill me!"

"Enough!" shouted Kira turning the current tension into dead silence at that moment. Everyone paid attention to the Freedom pilot's outburst, and for very clear reasons, they knew when to shut up. Once Kira made sure he had gotten everyone's –Cagalli's to be precise- attention, he motioned Lacus to continue. The songstress gave Kira a grateful smile –one of her trademarks- before continuing with her initial discussion. "Lacus, would you kindly continue?"

"Sure…" Lacus spoke back timidly since Kira gave her his entire support. After giving a small cough, the young pink princess proceeded with her plans. "Okay, so you guys don't want a party?" Lacus started with a question. When a vast majority of them shook their heads, Crot immediately pouted and sulked. "How about we go some place that is public?"

"What do you have in mind?" inquired Athrun listening attentively.

"I was thinking of going to an exhibition," replied Lacus with a great smile. "Don't you guys think it's great?"

"Yeah…" said Dearka slowly showing that he was considering the idea, "Where would there be such a place?"

"It's actually in the east of the city," explained Lacus as she held up yesterday's newspaper that Shani brought and Stellar permanently borrowed after the Forbidden pilot was done. To be very blunt, no one else had the habit to buy the newspaper since they relied on the television. "See, this small celebration is to celebrate that the war has ended. As survivors of the war, we should join as well, right? We can think of it as our time to finally relieve ourselves from the pain of everything that we have faced. How does that sound?"

"What do you do there?" asked Stellar curiously as she shifted closer to be more involved.

"I don't really know," said Lacus regrettably, "However, I know the exhibition is holding some kind of aquatic events, you know, more or less an aquarium." That excited the young blond natural instantly brightened with a delightful –not to mention endearing- smile.

"Aquarium?" Yzak questioned in a fake cough. In other words, he was sneering. "I am so not going there." Everyone gave him a look of disbelief at that second. "Hey, I am flattered by your offer, Lacus, and everyone else, but like… I can't go to such places." Miriallia narrowed her eyes questioningly.

"And why?" asked the former Archangel CIC to the Duel pilot giving him the gesture to give out a justifiable response.

"Because I don't like it."

"There are rides, too, Yzak," Lacus told him hopefully. "There is an exhibition and there is also an amusement park if you want to go on rides."

"Not interested," the Duel pilot replied dryly, "I have no love for those things." Athrun rolled his eyes where as Dearka grunted with irritation.

"So, what do you really want then?" Athrun asked Yzak tiredly knowing that something draining –more or less a case of arguing- would erupt when they wanted to discuss subjects that included Yzak's personal opinion.

"I want nothing more than to stay here and nap." Cagalli's face fell slightly hearing that response. Despite how amusing it was to see Yzak rant, complain, insult, or whatnot, the Duel pilot was quite a downer and a bore.

"You want to do that?" asked Crot scratching the back of his head. Judging from the face Yzak made, the coordinator was quite serious about his decision. The Raider pilot, on the other hand, would never discard such a chance to fool around. He would simply stay home when the sky would rain down fire and cleanse the human race from existence. "Come on, Jule, grow up."

"I said I am not going," declared the Duel pilot with utmost seriousness and passion to decline their offer. "Me, Yzak Jule, commander of the Jule squad, cannot degrade myself to enjoy such normal lifestyles. Living here is already an insult to my regulations and expectations, and you people want me to enjoy such simple pleasures such as parties and amusement parks? I, Yzak Jule, although humbled by your gracious offer, cannot accept. I would rather…" He just went on.

**_(10 minutes later)_**

After 10 valuable minutes, the Duel pilot was still speaking as if Energizer batteries were powered in his coordinated blood veins. "… after knowing my completely legitimate reasons," Yzak was still speaking with nobleness in his voice as his back was turned to them while looking out the window as the sunlight grazed on his features. "I cannot-" Once he turned around, his face fumed when he found out no one was here anymore. They ditched him! "You bastards! How dare you bastards leave me behind!" He then screamed. "Damn you all!"

**_(Meanwhile)_**

"Finally got rid of him…" Crot said relieved as he lied down on the armchair at Kira's apartment with the rest. After everyone took out a beverage from the fridge, they joined the Raider pilot to continue their discussion. "What the hell was that Jule talking about back there?"

"Him being a nobleman maybe…" Athrun replied as he chuckled.

"I don't even know how he thinks," pouted Cagalli as she leaned on the Justice pilot. "Does he even know what kind of opportunity it is to have this kind of event? I wouldn't miss it if I couldn't."

"Forget about that, Cagalli," said Miriallia, "He would never appreciate a normal person's life. We might as well leave him alone until he realizes how to enjoy it."

"I'd say his mommy spoiled him too much when he was a child," commented Dearka as he comfortably sat beside Miriallia casually. Although no one else detected it, Miriallia knew Dearka sat next to her deliberately. Despite she did feel comfortable having her blond coordinator friend around, it still felt kind of strange. However, she would give him credit for acting so natural without breaking a sweat.

"Having a mother who is an executive at PLANT's highest councils…" muttered the Justice pilot as he took a good sip of soda. "It's no doubt that Yzak always had the best things. He even refused to eat fries when he was a kid since too many middle-class people ate those foods."

"But I like fries…" whispered Lacus not wanting people to believe that she may be a pig. She really did love burgers and grill but due to her status, she usually had to eat fine dishes.

"Lacus," said Kira understandingly. Lacus blushed slightly when his hand made a gentle grip on her shoulders. "Unfortunately, not everyone is as reasonable as you are." Kira had to admit, she was easy to please.

"Yamato," Crot said lazily as if he was drunk on soda, "Speaking of Lacus… what should we do now? You know that Yak-"

"Yak?" Stellar asked as she giggled innocently.

"Yeah, that Yzak, his name does sound like yak, right?" Everyone agreed with Crot on that comment. "Besides, he just keeps yakking all the time about stuff. At times… it might not have any relevance to anything! He's like…"

"Like what?" asked Kira motioning Crot to continue. Unknown to him, everyone was giving their full attention to the Raider pilot.

"I don't know! Like… like an old man trapped in a boy's body." Everyone was quiet hearing that.

"Sure…" Miriallia finally said after ten seconds of dead silence. "That's a very marvelous comparison!" At that instant, the gang chuckled out loud. Dearka and Athrun even laughed.

"That's so mean, Crot!" Lacus teased as she fought her giggle.

"So that's what I was looking for," said Athrun to the Buster pilot.

"I knew Yzak was like somebody… or represent something," Dearka stated with hope. "Yzak is exactly like an old man!"

"Boys…" Cagalli grunted shaking her head with shame. "Can't they ever think of anything besides games, insults, and fun?"

"Oh, let them, Cagalli," said Lacus with a smile. "I know you want to have fun to." The Orb princess than gave a silencing, and accusing glare but it didn't stop Lacus from continuing to smile. Frustrated, Cagalli made a half-angry hmmph and turned away crossing her arms.

"Should we get going?" asked Stellar shyly and obviously in a voice no louder than a whisper. "I know you guys want to go before Yzak-san comes back…"

"Stellar," said Cagalli giving off a sigh and a supportive pat on the blond natural's shoulder. "You got to be less formal with us. We are all great friends with another, why the formalities?" Stellar only grinned nervously believing that she did something wrong. Who wouldn't believe that when they hear such a comment coming from a friend?

"You are only audible when you are talking to Shani," teased Lacus in a very feminine tone, "Stellar, do you really like him that much?" The blond natural's face soon rivaled a strawberry. How could they ask that so casually as if it was the easiest thing the world had offer? What about her secrets, didn't she have the right to protect them? In only a week, the other three girls knew enough about Stellar yet she did not know enough about her new friends.

"I… I…" Stellar choked uncomfortably.

"No need to say anymore, Stellar," Miriallia declared as she patted her friend's back. "We all know you like him, and I am sure Shani-san isn't that stupid not to know."  
"Yeah," added Cagalli happily, "You even kissed him."

"It was only the moment thing!" reasoned Stellar trying to sound firm but failing quite marvelously. "It was only the cheek…"

"Only the moment thing?" questioned Lacus doubtfully with a knowing smile, "Really? Did you know how happy you were for the next 30 minutes after kissing Shani? And also, you have been very quiet ever since he left, don't think we are that dumb not to realize that you like him."

"Lacus-chan…"

"I promise you, Stellar," continued the songstress interrupting the poor, timid girl. "When Shani comes back or when we visit him, I promise you that you two would deal with another and be together."

"Lacus-chan… you can't do that…" mumbled Stellar hastily, "Shani-kun would…"

"He would what?" interfered Miriallia, "Do you think he could resist someone like you when he knows in his heart that you care about him a lot?"

"Stop talking about me for a second," Stellar finally said out loud. "How about you, Cagalli-san? What about your relationship problems?" Cagalli was taken quite aback at her question. She didn't know how it happened but the shift suddenly came to her. "Well?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," replied the Orb princess confidently and half-defensively, "I have no relationship problems. None whatsoever."

"You sound so firm," commented Stellar willfully, "How would you know for certain if you don't tell us? If you believe that your relationship with Athrun is so good, you know, Athrun may not think so. Instead, you need more opinions from other people, am I right?"

"I am not having a relationship!" Cagalli shouted embarrassingly.

"Are you sure?" Stellar inquired leaning in a little more, "I have seen you two so happy with another like holding hands, his arm around your waist, your arm around his back. You can't just tell me that you're just friends when you two are doing more than what friends should do."

"He has been holding you?" asked Lacus excitedly. "Oh, I am so happy for you!"

"We're just friends!" Cagalli persisted.

"That would really hurt Athrun,"

"I am not talking about this anymore!" the Orb princess declared as she furiously –or half playfully- stomped off making loud and audible steps to tell everyone she was angry. Lacus and Miriallia only sighed to themselves seeing a Cagalli in denial where as Stellar was giggling as she witnessed the blond twin's actions. At the same time, the guys seemed to be finished with their sense of gibberish.

"What's with Cagalli?" asked Athrun worried as he stepped forward to the girls with Crot, Kira, and Athrun behind him. "Lacus, is something wrong?"

"No, no," answered Lacus cheerfully destroying his previous concern -or rather too cheerfully. "She just went back to her room to get packed."

"Get packed?" asked the Raider pilot raising a brow of distrust. "Where is she going?"

"You know, the exhibition!" exclaimed Miriallia lying instead of telling the males what they were chatting about before. It was girl talk after all; it was none of their business. "If we don't get packed, we may not have some of things that we need when we need it. You know, it's good to prepare than repair, right?"

"What words of wisdom!" complimented Dearka immediately but he was silenced when Kira nudged his elbow a tad bit too hard. Moreover, it was his funny-bone. Miriallia's face flushed up hearing such praise, if Dearka continued to do this, she wouldn't know what to do. However, there was one thing that she did know; getting praised did feel good. In addition, she did want him to do it more often since Dearka was very sarcastic.

"Repair what?" questioned Crot not understanding what his friend was saying. "Preparing for what? I know there is a hidden meaning." Athrun took in a deep breath of exasperation before whispering in Crot's ear.

"Miriallia is referring to a woman's monthlies," the Justice pilot explained in a hiss.

"Monthlies…" repeated the Raider pilot. "No wonder she is moody…"

"If you can let it slide, just let it slide, okay."

"I suppose these things are natural," stated Crot in a smirk, "However, judging from her usual attitude, we wouldn't know if she is actually going through her period or not. Or rather, she has it too frequently."

"I heard that, Crot Buer!" Cagalli's voice roared from the hallway. If they could hear her voice through a two-inched braced door, loud and clear, Kira safely assumed that everyone else on this floor heard her. She was completely swallowed with rage, the Raider pilot knew his end was near. Too near…

"Let's just pack up and prepare to go to the exhibition, okay?" suggested Lacus still in her delighted mood although rage and death was just outside these doors. "I will meet you all in the lobby in half an hour."

"I got you," said Kira as he gave Lacus a genuine smile before leaving.

"See you then," Dearka told the girls and went back into his room since this was his apartment. He gave Miriallia a smiling nod before she left the place with Lacus and Stellar. Stellar gave a small bow thanking Kira's hospitality and the guys had to say that her manners were equally as amazing as Lacus', he was starting to grow fond of Stellar. That only left Crot –who was sitting on the couch cold sweating with fear. Athrun wondered what could be the matter.

"Aren't you going to go, Crot?" asked Kira walking to him, "You do want to go out today, right?"

"I am not going out there!" the Raider pilot shouted with hands shaking and twitching. "That woman is waiting for me… I am going to die if I go out there!"

"What woman?" questioned the Justice pilot, confused.

"Cagalli!"

"Oh, Cagalli isn't going to kill you, Crot," said Athrun supportively with reassurance. "Don't worry about it." Suddenly, Crot's eyes widened with his iris no larger than a dot. Kira gasped audibly seeing his terrified expression.

"I can feel a killing aura…" the orange haired natural murmured soullessly. "It's thirsting for blood… my blood!" The Freedom and Justice pilot looked at each other with utmost confusion. A several blinks couldn't make their puzzlement more evident –in other words, they did not know what in hell Crot was saying.

"What are you talking about?" Athrun questioned completely bewildered.

"He's talking about me," someone said with authority. When Kira and Athrun both moved aside, they revealed Cagalli crossing her arms with the most sinister, most devilish grin on her face. Her fingers seemed to be itchy… itchy for some unnecessary violence. There was definitely an aura now, the two coordinators did not know what kind of words could be used to describe this feeling. It was frightening, intimidating, and most importantly, they didn't want to be the victims that the aura was directed to. "Hello, Crot."

Crot immediately pointed his finger with the most fear in his life at Cagalli and yelled. "Don't get any closer!"

"Insulting my monthlies and my temper, Crot?" questioned Cagalli as she shoved Kira and Athrun gracefully aside to make way to the Raider pilot. "You know, I won't hurt you… much…"

"What do you want… what do you want?"

"Nothing much." she still had that sinister grin on her face, what an incredible fake charm.

"You lie, woman!" shouted Crot accusingly.

"You're right, I am lying," replied Cagalli making Crot jerk another notch, "I do want something from you. You know, after knowing another for such a long time, we never had a great introduction to know another. We should do it right now."

"No, no, no, there is no need for that!" exclaimed the Raider pilot shifting a foot away from Cagalli instantly. Athrun and Kira swallowed hard and gulped seeing what kind of fear were in Crot's blue eyes. "We already introduced fine enough at the Archangel… we don't need to do it again!"

"I insist…" she told him with intimidating eyes, "I would take good, good care of you…" It was then she took out a rod from behind her back, raising it above her head before clubbing him.

In a matter of seconds, a terror scream could be heard from over a mile away –along with sounds of dangerous beating.

**_(Time jumps itself a several long hours)_**

"We are finally here!" exclaimed Lacus as the leader of the group as they arrived to the exhibition at downtown Kyoto. "Yes, we are really here!"

In all honesty, Kira –and everyone else- did not understand how Lacus was still energetic and cheerful. Was she that easy to please, or was she simply able to see the good in everything? Taking a small glimpse behind his shoulders, the Freedom pilot's eyes opened slightly more when they saw his friend's tired expressions. If he thought he was pissed, he had light years to go until he fully realized what the meaning of that word meant.

Sure, Lacus had a great idea, but all of them figured out she was no tour guide –it would've been incredibly helpful if they knew before they started their trip. The only person that would actually study maps was Shani, since he actually spent time in familiarizing himself with the gang and the city. The songstress only knew where the exhibition was, not exactly how to get there. After taking the wrong bus to the south end of town, they even missed their stop on the subway and went to the end of the line ending up at 'who-knows-where'.

Those 'uncalled for' trips alone wasted over 2 hours of precious time. No one -who rarely took public transportation- ever expected that riding the bus and subway would be so draining despite that they were sitting down.

In addition to this mess, Cagalli, Athrun, and Dearka developed a new pet peeve on the bus today. A vast majority of the passengers were idiots; this was one of the strongest beliefs that the three Gundam pilots held within. First of all, people were disrespectful. It wasn't like that they intentionally come right up to their faces and talked crap or attempted to flirt, the fact was that these people often talked loudly in spite that there were others around. As if that wasn't enough, Cagalli constantly glared at the fools who sat at the back and got off at the front –when there were wide rear doors that were made for the sole reason for people to get off. Not only was it annoying, they were wasting other people's time as if the world revolved only around them.

What a bunch of fateless fools, as Crot would say.

"What should we do now?" asked Kira as he looked around the area and finding this place more like Disneyland than an exhibition. The Freedom pilot wondered if the exhibition was a playground instead of a museum, from what he could gather, everywhere was all fun.

"Should we split up?" offered Athrun suddenly to the group.

"Why?" Stellar asked as she blinked a several times innocently.

"There may be some of us that want to go to places where the rest of the group may not want to go. It would be hard to compromise," Everyone agreed with his words. "So, if we do divide ourselves into smaller groups, we could check out more places and negotiations are more possible."

"Hey, Zala," commented a half wounded Crot deliberately not making any eye contact with Cagalli –not even a glance. "We are just planning how to proceed, no need to make it sound that professional, right?" Athrun grunted at Crot's words. It looked like he still had some grudge against the Justice pilot.

"That only proves what kind of solemn person Athrun was in the war," Dearka defended backing his good friend up. The Raider pilot gave Dearka a small, unpleased stare before looking away defeated. The blue haired coordinator silently delivered his gratitude to Dearka before Cagalli stepped and held his hand, Athrun was surprised at her actions for she was never this forward.

"I agree with splitting up," stated the Orb princess supporting this idea immediately without question. Some may even believe it as loyalty.

"But we shouldn't go alone, right?" questioned Miriallia bringing up a point.

"We aren't too familiar with this place after all," added the Buster pilot also following Kira to study the vicinity. After ten seconds of studying, even with a map this place could be quite confusing. If they went off alone, the chance of getting lost would be undoubtedly high. "Let's go in pairs, okay?"

"Sure!" said Cagalli delightedly as she squeezed Athrun's hand telling him that she was his partner and no one else. Seeing the blond twin with such eagerness to be with him, who was he to refuse.

"I will go with Cagalli," said Athrun to the group. Crot and Stellar merely nodded where as the rest gave their recognition as well –but not without that deliberate grin. "I will meet you guys back here at around at 7 or so, okay?" Giving another nod, Cagalli instantly yanked Athrun as she sprinted off into the theme park and soon disappeared from their sight range. All of them could hear Athrun's protest saying that Cagalli was being too rough on him. Miraculously, Athrun immediately silenced himself with he saw a face the Orb princess made. Since the rest of the gang only saw Cagalli's hair, they had their own interpretations. Regardless of what it was, it sure did the job well.

Lacus sighed pleasantly before looking at the remaining six members –including herself- of the group.

"Now, who's next?" questioned the songstress as she glanced at Kira with a smile. The perfect coordinator was no moron, he already knew what the girl was thinking –of course she wanted some time alone with him to talk things out. In other words, Lacus wanted to go with Kira.

"Hey!" exclaimed the Raider pilot with glee like a 12 year old despite he was 18. Stellar instantly eeped and made a jump hearing that drastic outburst. "There is an mega arcade here! Over hundreds of games, great bargains, endless hours!" Crot shouted again pointing to a map in his hands. "I am so gone!" In a flash, Crot immediately took off with marvelous agility like he was desperately attempting to make his way to freedom. "Get out of my way!"

Stellar –knowing what Lacus would say- also ran off after her sempai so he would not get lost later on. He was the only person amongst the group that didn't purchase a cell phone due to the fact he spent all his free time on games instead of shopping for necessities. Sometimes, Crot would be just as stubborn as Yzak, yet Crot's laziness appeared to be even more annoying for it affected everyone –in some miraculous, wondrous ways. Giving a farewell wave, Stellar hurried herself to catch up with the now 'fueled-by-zeal' Crot.

"I'll leave you two alone now," said Miriallia clearly understanding that Lacus wanted to pair with Kira.

"Correction," Dearka stepped in skillfully, "We will leave you two alone."

"Dearka?" questioned the brunette natural, surprised.

"We have to go in pairs, right?" the Buster pilot challenged her logic but in a very considerate method. Miriallia barely detected it. "It's safer this way since we don't know much about this place. Come on, we would still have fun, I promise you."

After Dearka put it that way, he did have a point. Besides, wandering around this exhibition alone would be lonely. She could sure use Dearka's company, and probably tease him or make jokes. Moreover, she liked Dearka's sarcasm –unfortunately he somewhat dimmed it when he became a member of the archangel. Hopefully, Miriallia would revive it again.

"Looks like we would go now," stated Miriallia to the two other coordinators as she smiled a little purposely. "Let's go, Dearka." The Buster pilot agreed almost too quickly before he and Miriallia headed towards the opposite direction to the amusement park district. Although oblivious to Lacus, Kira saw his friends smirking and laughing from a distance, he safely assumed that they left him alone with the songstress deliberately.

The Freedom pilot did not know whether he should thank them or curse them.

"Kira?" called the pink princess poking his shoulder.

"Yes?" answered Kira after three seconds of absent-minded thinking.

"Should we?" she asked him playfully before naturally looping her arms around his left one. Nodding with a weak grin, Lacus once again encircled her arms around her admirer before emitting a pleasant moan and resting her head comfortably on his shoulder. She did it so naturally as if it was one of the easiest, most free thing that this world could offer. Even if Kira merely grinned a little weakly at her affection, his heart was smiling with utmost appreciation.

Hopefully, every one of them could cherish their time today.

_**(Meanwhile at the shuttle to PLANT)**_

Things couldn't have been worse, as Shani would say, if leaving behind his new friends were hard enough, having to sit next to a coordinator girl who ceaselessly believed that he was a pervert was significantly more difficult than it seemed. He was certain that everyone wanted to figure out the true depth of his torment.

To put a long story short, Shani did try to befriend with Lunamaria despite their first encounter. They clearly started at the wrong foot. Or rather they actually messed up twice; once at the mall, and now at the shuttle. The young coordinator lady kept glaring dangerously at Shani during the whole trip, and it didn't matter what he was doing. When Shani was typing on his laptop, the girl would also stare along at him or with him. The Forbidden pilot felt very uneasy knowing his seating partner was suspicious of everything he did. When he tried to talk to her, she would just say he was trying to switch her attention away so he could grope her again. Honestly, Shani never even thought of that.

Lunamaria did not trust Shani for one second; and her constant glares only bored the living hell out of the one eyed natural. Although Lunamaria wanted to monitor Shani for the entire trip, it was soon when her energy ran out and fell asleep. As soon as that happened, Shani was relieved and finally had the peace to do a little bit of watching the scenery.

To be blunt, space was not all out interesting to look at. Regular citizens who always lived on earth may find outer space vast and amazing, but to Shani, this pitch darkness was nothing more than another battlefield. The last time he had been here, the Forbidden pilot did not have the heart nor time to simply enjoy this quiet scenery. Rather, after some time of resting, outer space was just a place for him to fly around and kill in his Forbidden Gundam. After all that slaughter, Shani did not have the heart now to love space –knowing that he was fully responsible for all that bloodshed.

Given that Lunamaria was finally out of commission, at long last Shani checked a several of his personal things -his mail. After typing freedomandjusticemustdie at hotmail dot com and his password GAT-X252, Shani finally had access to the mail that he needed to find. To his surprise, he found only one new message. What stunned him further was that it came from Stellar. Of course, he wouldn't ignore this letter.

Shani smiled as he read it.

_I am sorry for writing this message so soon after you had your flight, but I just had to write it to you. I would miss you so much when you are not here… who is going to sit beside me in English class; who is going to let me listen to music; who is going to give me money for lunch when I forget mine at times? The list is just so endless. Oh, Shani-kun, how could you leave so soon without telling me? It hurts me so much that you have to leave and Stellar couldn't do anything about it. Why didn't tell me? I don't like Shani-kun keeping everything to himself, you know I am more than happy to share things with you._

_Regardless if you are here or not, you better become a good Captain or Commander, or whatever high rank you may be. You were always amazing in the military, and I know that you would make me really happy. Please, Shani-kun, work hard… because when I see you again, I want to… I want to… see someone who I can truly admire._

_Right now, Lacus-chan suggested that we should visit an exhibition/amusement park event in the east end of town –which is downtown Kyoto. I am actually there already and found a library so I could type this letter to you. I went to the aquarium just now, I found it just so amazing. Before I forget, I am actually quite worried about Yzak… Shani-kun, I would say that he chose not to come with us and we kind of ditched him back at home. I am sure you wouldn't mind but I hope he is not mad, I feel guilty…_

_Anyway, best of luck on your new job! Make your little sister proud!_

_Stellar_

"Wow…" said Shani in awe at her short letter. A smile still plastered on face as he closed the window for his mail and shutting off his computer. After giving a sigh, his right eye opened when he suddenly felt something soft feathering on his neck. It was warm, and as he tilted his head to the right, he gasped slightly when he saw Lunamaria's head resting on his shoulders in her sleeping form. The only assumption the Forbidden pilot could make was that the magenta haired girl was tired and involuntarily fell on him without knowing.

Her cheek was very soft and smooth, and Shani could only imagine her other one would be equally or even better. Lunamaria's breathing tickled his skin, and soon as she leaned more forward, her soft, pink lips made small kisses on him as she took in every breath. He couldn't believe what satisfaction of healing kindness that was even though it was not intercourse. As her lips feathered his neck again, Shani squirmed a little with a blush –not a heavy one though. Her hand suddenly went upon his shoulder, giving him a pleasant grip. At the same time, her body tended toward a little more on him, and now her face was now nearly on his neck.

More importantly, her breasts were firmly brushing against his upper arm. To Shani, he did not know what she was doing. Was sleep something that made a woman totally seductive? He did not want to find out nor had the interest of having the slightest knowledge. Yet, Shani had to admit, this felt comfortable but if she woke up now, his life would belong to the forbidden devils of hell where he would spend eternity in a fiery domain.

"Kami-sama…" prayed Shani fidgeting noticeably, "If I live through this… I promise to go to church every Sunday…"

"This tasted good…" Lunamaria murmured dreamily unexpectedly. What was more sudden was that her tongue came out from her mouth and began licking. This indeed scared the Forbidden pilot. How was he supposed to feel when a beautiful girl showed her affection? Whether she was doing this involuntarily; or without knowing; or even intoxicated; it was difficult for Shani not to react. It was a miracle that he was still sitting there dead still.

"Hey, wake up," called the one eyed natural trying to shake her but he halted when she whispered more words.

"Strawberry shortcake… mint chocolate ice-cream…" those words escaped her lips as she moaned peacefully with a detection of that she was dreaming. If she was dreaming of those things, Shani was somewhat relieved. "I love all these things…" Unknown to Shani, Lunamaria opened her mouth revealing her perfectly fine white teeth, and then in a delighted state she made a forceful bite on Shani's neck. In fact, she bit him hard; very hard.

"God damn it!" cried the Forbidden pilot in a screech as she shoved the coordinator girl away in an instant and felt his neck. Of course, the girl immediately woke up and fear covered all her features when she saw blood seaming from Shani's wound although his hand was covering it. "Hell!"

"You're bleeding!" shouted Lunamaria in a desperate panic. Shinn and Meyrin –who were just behind them- stood up from their spot in an instant where worry was the driving force that caused them to act. Shinn and Meyrin watched in horror as more blood soaked Shani's hand. "What have I done… what have I done?"

"What happened, Luna?" yelled Shinn obviously in a hurry.

"I don't know, I don't know!" retorted the coordinator girl now in tears. "Pervert-san…" she pleaded as she carefully held his bloodied hand. "Please be okay…"

"There is an emergency!" shouted Shinn trying to get some people to help. "Someone call for help!"

**_(2 hours later, in the hospital waiting rooms of one of the PLANT colonies)_**

"How did this even happen, Luna?" asked Meyrin worriedly as she handed her older sister a cup of tea. "How did that guy start bleeding? Why did you bite him?"

"You think I want to?" countered Lunamaria defensively.

"I don't think you do…" stated the vampuric coordinator tiredly as he sat down beside his good friend.

"Exactly! Although he is a pervert, I would never bite Pervert-san like that!"

"Pervert-san?" Meyrin questioned while blinking with confusion. "Who are you referring to?"

"Hey, Luna," called Shinn catching the girls' attention. "He looks really familiar… where have I seen him?"

"I don't remember seeing anyone like that, Shinn," the younger Hawke told them. "I have to say, he looks really handsome…"

"Stop complimenting Pervert-san, Meyrin-chan," Lunamaria snapped with a growl.

"Stop calling him that, onee-chan," replied the younger coordinator lady, "He does have a name, you know. Hey, what is his name anyway?"

"How would I know?" Lunamaria pouted cutely while crossing her arms. Shinn just sighed inwardly at her high sense of pride. "I don't want to know his name… he's a pervert!"

"He was that guy who held you and helped you at the mall, right?" questioned Shinn raising a brow.

"Correction," stated the dark magenta haired girl with authority, "He didn't held me, he groped me. And moreover, it was my breasts!" Shinn grunted and sighed where as Meyrin blushed hearing it. Groped, what a foreign word. The younger sister seriously did not expect it. "How can I not be mad at a pervert for doing that, Shinn?"

"It's not that bad…" Shinn persuaded in a stutter.

"How would you know?" retorted the magenta haired coordinator. "You don't have breasts for men to touch!"

"Hey, he was trying to help you, Luna," the black haired boy told her in a friend's position, "Or you would've had your face smashed on the polished, smooth floor. You would've been in the hospital and ironically, the person who helped you ended up getting a ride with the white van." (Note: What Shinn meant was the ambulance)

"Hmph…"

"You worried, Luna?"

'No…" she said back weakly, "Why would I be?"

"You bit him pretty bad, you know that?"

"Shinn," begged the older coordinator girl suddenly with pure hysteria and grabbing the boy by the shoulders., "What should I do? What can I do? I don't know what I am supposed to do to make things better!"

"Don't worry," he cooed like a big brother would but he was actually younger, "Everything is going to be okay, Lunamaria. Have faith."

"I called him a pervert…" Lunamaria started to sniff with a several tears and even Meyrin was shocked to see her sister cry. "I insulted him when he tried to be nice… and I now I even bit him by the neck… He's going to hate me after this…"

"Onee-chan, don't think like that…" said Meyrin trying to be as helpful as possible.

"No matter what happens in the future, I know that I lost this…" Lunamaria told them genuinely sad.

"Don't talk like that, Luna," Shinn spoke with support, "Nothing's going to happen. I swear it."

"Don't try to sound optimistic… When he wakes up, he's going to sue me for aggravating assault. It's not like he doesn't have a right to, he was bleeding quite badly. I deserve it, I was being stupid… punishing me is just. Even if I do get off the hook, he is going to hate me… why wouldn't he? I did hurt him both physically and emotionally, why should he spare me? It's not like I am his sister, I am nothing more but a stranger who hurt him. Both ways are bad… what can I do?"

"What if he forgives you, onee-chan?" stated Meyrin hopefully, "He may be understanding…"

"What if he isn't, Meyrin?" countered Lunamaria snapping back, "What if he doesn't forgive me? If he isn't understanding, I am screwed all over with no way out! I would be charged for certain, and then I have to be imprisoned and all my hopes and dreams would be shattered!"

"Luna…" Shinn gave off a sigh with grief.

"This may be one of the last times that I am going to see you two…" the older Hawke sister said with tears in her eyes. "Oh, Shinn, I am going to miss you so much!"

"You're not going to custody, Luna…" the vampuric looking coordinator told her rolling his eyes. "You're going overboard."

"No…" she hissed as she darted at his hands too hard before crushing it. Shinn flinched with his eyes trying to hide the pain, Meyrin gasped with shock seeing the desperation in her sister's face. She looked possessed and insane. "No… I am not going overboard… I am dead… it's all over for me…" Lunamaria then cackled. "I deserve it… it's all my fault," she laughed maniacally again. "I'm dead… I am dead!"

"Who's dead?" came a voice that did not belong to Shinn or Meyrin. When the three young coordinators heard it, they turned their heads slightly to see the new stranger. It was no other than Heine Westenfluss. "What are you three talking about?"

"Captain Westenfluss!" Shinn said in a salute, surprised. Although he did not have his uniform, Shinn gave a lot of respect to this Faith member opposed to some of his other instructors. Lunamaria and Meyrin followed suit as well. Heine only sighed while shaking his head when the girls also addressed him the same way.

"Heine, people," said the current Faith member with a moving finger, "How many times do I have to tell you guys that? It's just Heine. No need to be that formal with me."

"Yes, sir…" whimpered Meyrin timidly where as Lunamaria had her head down in a depressed state.

"What's wrong, Lunamaria?" questioned Heine wondering what was wrong with his comrade.

"I don't think that she would really want to talk about it, Commander…" Meyrin told the orange haired Faith member in a whisper. He merely cocked his eyebrows a little bit.

"I understand then," Heine replied considerately, "Actually, I came here to look for someone. I was supposed to meet him back at base but I received info that he came to the hospital due to some emergency."

"Is that so?" questioned Shinn silently.

"Yes," continued the commander, "Does any one of you three know which room Shani Andras is in?"

"Shani Andras? Who is he?"

"Sorry, Commander, I mean, Heine," Meyrin flushed up knowing that she called him by a rank, "We don't know such person."

Shani Andras, this name sounded so familiar to Lunamaria, yet she could not figure out when she heard it. Who could blame her, after biting the Forbidden pilot on the shuttle, she had been in a stage of utter mess. However, this name kept ringing in her mind. She heard it somewhere… but when?

It was then when Lunamaria recalled one of the scenes in the shuttle.

* * *

"I won't touch you, okay?" Shani stated with exasperation. "I have a name you know." 

"I don't care!" Lunamaria snapped back giving a pout and looking away.

"Anyway, my name is Shani," the green haired one-eyed natural said regardless of her temper. "Shani Andras."

"What a nice name for a pervert," that comment surely made Shani cringe. Lunamaria certainly felt proud for insulting right on the spot.

* * *

"Pervert-san…" Lunamaria suddenly spoke as if the light had shined through the clouds of bewilderment, "He's Shani Andras… Commander," Heine and the other two coordinators quickly gave her the attention she required. "I know where he is." 

"Really?" Heine asked, pleased. "Take him to me, Lunamaria, thank you." Giving a nod, Lunamaria led the way with Shinn and Meyrin on their tails.

"Why do you need to see him, Heine-san?" questioned the vampiric male suddenly as the four continued to walk in the hallways. When the dark magenta haired coordinator lady heard Shinn's question, she decided to ignore it for the time being. However, it was quite difficult not to eavesdrop.

"It's somewhat confidential…" the Faith soldier answered kindly with a smile, "Besides, it's not something that a military student should really be concerned about."

"If you're telling onee-chan to take you to Shani-san," Meyrin spoke humbly, "You might as well tell us your reasons." Heine easily made another grin before chuckling.

"I would give you guys credit for being so curious," Heine told them still holding a small chuckle, "I suppose having curiosity is better than having none at all. I would tell you-" Just as Heine was about to continue, he bumped with the person who was walking in front of him. Giving an apology before hand, the three wondered why Luna stopped walking.

"We're here," Lunamaria stated as she pointed on the sign above the door, "Room 123."

"Thank you so much, Lunamaria," the Faith member said gratefully.

"It was a pleasure," replied the older Hawke sister half-heartedly but none of them caught it, "I will be taking my leave now. Shinn, Meyrin, let's go." Just as Shinn and Meyrin were about to protest since they did want to see what happened to the Forbidden pilot, Heine moved his hand to serve as a barrier for Lunamaria to halt. The three lower ranked soldiers stared at Heine questioningly. "Commander?"

"Feel free to stay here," said Heine having a too-knowingly smile on his face. Despite that it may be charming, it wasn't working on Lunamaria. Her clear blue eyes told Heine that she was asking why, and the Faith member did not hesitate to answer. "Because, I got a feeling that you want to talk to him."

"Why would I want to do that?" queried Luna somewhat defensively. The Gouf Ignited pilot once again just smiled, and Lunamaria –if she wasn't a lower rank soldier- would've retorted rudely by now.

"Your face tells me everything," stated Heine casually with a tsking finger. "Let me ask you this, why are you three in the hospital? Did someone get hurt? Or did you hurt someone? Judging by all the guilt and attempt to escape facial expression, you committed a wrongful act."

Just how in the name of forbidden angels did this guy know? Nothing escaped this man!

"Whatever," Lunamaria declared uncaringly with confidence, "Don't you have something more important to do, Heine?" Lunamaria hoped that her leader would drop this subject, he was invading too much of her personal space.

After that reminder, the Faith soldier suddenly remembered what he came here to do. Assuming that Shani was asleep, he quietly and swiftly opened the door to enter. Heine told them one last time that the three were more than welcome to join him but Lunamaria insisted to leave. Seeing that his persuasion skills weren't getting him anywhere, Heine had no choice but to respect Luna's decision –although Shinn and Meyrin wanted to stay. As soon as they were no longer in his sight range, Heine entered Shani's ward.

_**(At that instant)**_

When the Faith member closed the door and turned back, he was surprised to see the Forbidden pilot was actually awake. To be correct, he was sitting on the bed while staring stoically at Heine right in the eye.

"You must be Shani Andras," greeted Heine in a polite manner as he casually approached him, "It's an honour to meet with you."

"Drop your fake sincerity," said Shani with hardened bandages around his neck. The wound still stung quite significantly after the treatment, and as the Forbidden pilot touched it, he winced. Heine clearly noticed Shani's pain and merely smiled with understanding. "Who are you? From what you're wearing, you're from ZAFT."

"Of course," the ZAFT commander replied with a friendly gesture, "How are you feeling?"

"I don't know how to describe it…" Shani responded as he dropped his hand to the side with a weary grunt. "I felt like a victim that has been bitten by a vampire…"

"Who got you into this mess?"

"I rather not say."

"I understand." There were five seconds of dead silence.

"Why are you here?" the Forbidden pilot inquired after feeling awkward. "Why would someone like you need to look for me? Especially when I am in the hospital, I didn't expect you to be here."

"Captain Talia Gladys told me to meet you,"

"In other words, you're following orders?" inquired Shani cocking a brow. Heine merely nodded to comply and easily found out Shani was a sharp individual. "I will assume Talia Gladys is the employer?"

"It's actually the new Chairman, Captain Gladys and myself," answered the Faith member, "We are responsible for hiring you." That certainly surprised Shani, he wasn't prepared to expect that so many people were needed to decide if he would receive his job. He was especially stunned hearing the Chairman being one of his employers, was things that serious to have someone like him involved? From what Shani could gather, this was quite a big deal.

"Am I that special? I am flattered." That almost sounded insincere.

"It's because of your previous task as an Earth Alliance soldier," began Heine trying to make this comfortable for Shani to hear, "We are suspicious of your actions for joining our forces so soon after the war. If you didn't say that you had all the requirements for being an experienced soldier, we would not have considered your resume."

"I suppose that can't be helped." Shani told him with mutual understanding. Who would blame them, he was a natural, and most importantly, a former EAF living CPU. He awaited Heine's questioning with utmost patience and preparedness.

"From what I can see here, you were GATX-252's pilot, a very dangerous enemy that was on the highest priority to eliminate or capture. It's actually surprising to see someone that we actually had such a will to kill suddenly showing up in front of us wanting to aid us after all they have done." Heine's use of words did not help Shani feel any better about himself for very obvious reasons. In other words, he felt like crap.

"I would understand that if you don't want to hire me," the Forbidden pilot stated, dejected of course, "If you don't wish to speak anything that would involve me being hired, I would want you to leave. If you don't mind, I wish to have my rest." Again, the Faith member just gave off another one of his smiles, and this time however, there was just this touch of knowing feeling behind it. Shani barely noticed it

"You got it all wrong, Shani Andras," the Gouf pilot said giving a pat on the natural's shoulder, "Believe me on this, if we weren't considering to accept you, I wouldn't be here having this conversation with you." Shani just blinked a several times with bewilderment, what in blazes was he even talking about? "Listen, the Chairman wanted you to be with us as soon as you sent in your application, I was surprised how soon the Chairman wanted things to be done."

"He only wants me for my mobile suit capabilities, am I right?"

"Don't think of the Chairman like that, Shani-san," objected Heine peacefully, "All he wants is for earth and PLANT to finally live in peace where there would be no need for wars. With someone like you who actually does have power, why not make a difference?" The green haired natural only listened attentively not wanting to interrupt his future comrade's words. "Isn't that what you want? Isn't it why you wanted to be a soldier again in the first place? Aren't you tired of meaningless battles where an enormous amount of grief and bloodshed could've been avoided?" Then he asked a question where it just hit Shani hard. "Aren't you still feeling hatred towards those people who treated you badly? Do you want that to happen again?"

"Never!" Shani exclaimed argumentatively.

"Then ZAFT is more than welcome to have you aboard as our 2nd Lieutenant." Shani's right eye shot open in less than a blink of an eye. He didn't believe this!

"2nd Lieutenant?" repeated Shani with incredible incredulity. "You're not serious!"

"I am dead serious," Heine declared half serious, half joking. It didn't matter how he said it, the Forbidden pilot knew this was reality. Shani just stared at the higher rank soldier not ever believing this was happening. He expected to himself to be just an average soldier like a Sergeant or something, but however, he was fortunate enough to be granted with a high rank of 2nd Lieutenant. Like before, Heine didn't mind Shani staring or gawking, he expected it.

Being an understanding individual, Heine allowed Shani to take his time breathing in and out for thirty seconds. In all honesty, Shani wasn't that stunned, just surprised to a moderate degree.

"What do I have to do as 2nd Lieutenant?" questioned the Forbidden pilot knowing that he had the right to know this much. Although he was glad to know that he was accepted as a soldier for ZAFT, Shani had to admit he was somehow feeling a bit uneasy with Heine. There wasn't a thing about him that disturbed Shani specifically, but something was definitely there that was hidden. From basic gestures to smiles, the Forbidden pilot's intuition told him all Heine's actions contained another meaning.

"We already decided on your first task, Shani-san," the Forbidden pilot once again looked surprised. "Unless you want to discuss about it and make a compromise."

"No, let's hear it." Given that declarative statement, Heine smiled again before going through the plans with Shani. This discussion easily took over two hours for these two had quite a lot to say.

**_(Monday, two days later)_**

"Morning, Shinn," called Lunamaria with Meyrin behind her in their specific military uniform. Luna was not a red coat, but her goal was to aim for it. Shinn –who was sitting and deep in thought about his past and the incident two days ago- slowly moved his head upward to meet the Hawke sisters. Lunamaria and Meyrin took the seats that were beside the vampuric coordinator, making Shinn right in the middle.

"Good morning, Luna," Shinn replied kind of wearied. "Morning to you, too, Meyrin." The younger Hawke sister smiled sweetly where as Lunamaria narrowed her eyes at his lack of enthusiasm.

"We got some news, Shinn," announced Meyrin to the coordinator to her right. Her voice seemed excited. Seeing her so willing to share, who was Shinn to refuse. "We heard we are going to get a new instructor for us today!" The black haired coordinator was marveled at her eagerness, the word marveled was more or less sarcasm.

"Where did you pick this up?" questioned Shinn raising one brow to inquire –or steal any info that she may have.

"Commander Westenfluss was talking about it just now in his office," replied Meyrin squealing with delight. "Finally, someone is replacing Chief Officer Arthur! He was too old for us anyway, right? Not to mention boring!" Sadly enough, Lunamaria and Shinn both had to agree. Despite that Arthur may be quite an experienced soldier; he was kind of out of date. To put it in simpler terms, there were barely any efforts from Arthur to make closer connections with his students. It wasn't like a military instructor was supposed to be treated like a friend, but to the very least, he shouldn't be all stiff and unfeeling.

It was no wonder the class –especially the girls- did not like Arthur as a teacher.

"So, who's the substitute?" Shinn followed his next series of questions.

"No idea," replied Lunamaria crossing her legs, "That guy sounds young though, he is talking to Commander Heine like best friends…" Shinn once again was surprised for the second time that day. "He did sound kind of young, and familiar…"

"No, don't listen to Luna," objected the brighter red head girl, "She isn't giving him enough credit. From what I heard, I think he sounds sexy!" Lunamaria merely scoffed with a laugh where as Shinn didn't seem all out impressed. Just because he sounded appealing, that didn't mean anything in the military when this place was all discipline and regulations. Meyrin was still young, Shinn didn't blame her for having small crushes on cute guys or guys with a manly –or alluring in general- voice. He just hoped that Meyrin wouldn't get too carried away.

"Oh, he wasn't that appealing," commented Lunamaria, smirking somewhat defensively to prove her point.

"To me it was!"

"You heard him for two seconds, and you didn't even see his face, how could you be the judge of that?"

"It's my women's intuition."

"Are you saying that I'm not a woman?" Sitting in between the two sisters, Shinn felt himself shrinking lower and lower as each moment went by. Not only was he being ignored, his presence was not recognized as the two girls began to chat louder, and leaning in despite Shinn being in the middle and caved in. It was undoubtedly awkward.

_Someone save me…_

"Hey!" shouted a voice suddenly in a roar as if his prayers were answered. However, Shinn wanted it to be done more gracefully but it fulfilled his wish regardless. All the students instantly stopped what they were doing and looked at the direction of where the voice originated, most of the military trainees paled seeing Heine standing there solemnly. None of them detected when he actually came in. Indeed, they were busted. "You think this place is a carnival? When has ZAFT taught people to be lacking in discipline? I could hear you from three doors away!"

"Sorry, Commander Westenfluss!" almost the entire class apologized promptly but Shinn, Meyrin, and Lunamaria only stated their words in a weak tone deliberately.

"That's better," Heine said still carrying a tint of anger but gradually diminished, "You guys wouldn't want to be a living embarrassment for your new instructor now, would you?" The class suddenly made comments to another in a hiss, whisper, or audible sentences. Obviously, most of the class was somewhat bewildered to know there was a newcomer so suddenly when Arthur had showed no signs of resigning anytime soon. Judging from some of their facial expressions, Heine knew this was fortunate news for these youngsters.

Maybe a bit too fortunate…

"Commander," called out a nobody from the crowd, "Who is our new…"

"He is just outside this room," announced the Faith member before facing his head towards the door, "Would you please come in?" From outside, the new mentor opened the door and revealed himself to the unknown crowd. Most of them gasped seeing that he was not much older than them, and also slightly younger than Heine.

Even though they may not know who this newcomer was, they knew he was someone that couldn't be messed with. They all stared at this green haired stranger with a long bang covering his left eye, although they were quite stunned by his appearance, they smiled anyway. Obviously, it was due to respect issues.

At the same time, Meyrin's eyes climbed up and down this new mentor. Indeed, he looked young, very young. Nothing but seriousness and maturity, thought Meyrin, for this green haired soldier didn't forge any type of smile or grin as he observed the crowd with his violet right eye. The little sister wondered if he was the man Heine was speaking to earlier, and also, this newcomer sure felt uneasy being here. How did she know? Simple. Most people never relieve themselves in an unknown ground, it was the wisest choice for him to show off his firm side until familiarity arrived. What puzzled Meyrin was why he had thin bandages around his neck.

Then it struck her, but the younger Hawke sister chose to remain silent about it.

Shinn stole a glimpse at Lunamaria, and he jolted insignificantly when he saw the coordinator lady gawking. In normal circumstances, gawking would be a more… not so innocent way of staring. Yet, the manner that Lunamaria was using was an ideal fusion of ignorance and fear. Conveniently, discrimination was also a perfect combination of those two elements. Firstly, Lunamaria did not know why this guy always seemed to follow her! Secondly, she was deeply afraid that he would recognize her.

To play it safe, Lunamaria did not dare look at Heine nor her new instructor.

"He is your new mentor," announced the Faith member clearly to the twenty four students in this room before facing his high ranked comrade again. "Care to introduce yourself for them?"

The green haired ZAFT soldier couldn't help but grin at last. "Certainly," he replied with respect. "Good morning everyone, I –as you can all see- am your new instructor for this military course. I am Lieutenant Shani Andras, and I have been in the military since I was 15 or so. I wish that you all would have a good time here, and it's a pleasure to meet all of you."

"It's Shani!" whispered Shinn to Meyrin loudly as he nudged her. The response he received was a delighted nod with Meyrin having teary eyes of admiration and a several stars as well.

"You call that an introduction, Lieutenant?" questioned another nobody teasingly but nothing insulting. It was evident that he was trying to kill time, and also taking advantage of that Shani was a young male like most of them. "We want more!"

"Who are you to tell the Lieutenant what to do?" Heine instantly objected but surprisingly enough, Shani stretched out his hand for him to drop it.

"Heine," said Shani in a voice so others would not be able to hear. The people in the front row heard it quite well though. "I can deal with this. Don't you need to make some reports by 11AM today?" Heine was forgetful at times, he was human despite being a coordinator. Receiving that friendly reminder, the Faith member nodded before giving the Forbidden pilot a pat on the shoulder and exited the room with high hopes. Once Shani no longer felt his presence, he faced the class –and Lunamaria was still looking at the ground as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"So, you want me to give you guys a better introduction?" asked Shani to the crowd in a friendly smile. When the students at the back nodded supporting that idea, the Forbidden pilot merely smirked a bit wider. "Okay, to be honest, I was hired yesterday and given the rank of 2nd Lieutenant." The class –including Lunamaria- was shocked. Seeing that he had everyone's attention in his very first sentence, the green haired natural knew he had a good start. "Don't get me wrong, I didn't get this rank when I was 15. I had to work my way up like you guys, and it did take a lot of persistence."

"Where did you used to work?" asked another random student.

"I am not a coordinator," stated Shani seriously this time, "What other military do you think I could've work in?"

"You are a natural!" questioned Shinn, Lunamaria, and Meyrin in disbelief, nearly shouting. To their surprise, by the way Shani was slowly nodding, they received the message that he was expecting that question. The most stunned by this was Lunamaria, if he was a natural, how incredibly quick he was back at the mall. Once she recalled it, Shani did manage to catch her –despite him groping her by the breasts- when she was falling quickly. She didn't believe it –not like she had any discrimination for naturals though.

"Why, yes, I am." Shani answered easily. "I was an Ensign when I was in the Alliance."

"Why are you in ZAFT then?" Shinn inquired challengingly. "What's with your sudden change of heart?" That surely made a negative influence in an instant.

"Shinn!" hissed Lunamaria dangerously, "What are you doing? Don't ask these things!"

"What?" the vampuric coordinator clearly believed that he wasn't wrong. "Don't we have the right to ask these things, Luna?"

"Still-"

"I will share those things with you guys another time," Shani told Shinn with his voice still in control and not one bit intimidated by his challenge. "As ZAFT soldiers, or having a conscience as human beings, I hope you guys would be able to understand how disgraceful and humiliating it really is to differentiate other people. When you actually think about it, isolating people is just ignorance, negligence, and fear." At this point, the class was listening quite attentively –which was something Arthur was dying to achieve.

"One, you don't know if their differences could be beneficial or dangerous, that's why it leads to fear. Two, when you fear, you tend to protect yourself. It is a natural instinct of human beings, I know, I know I tend to defend myself when I get scared, too. However, it's no longer simply trying to save yourself; you are trying to get rid of them so you no longer need to associate with them again. That means that insults and violence would come into place within some time, it's just bound to happen if no one takes on the initiative to bond things back together. Accepting one another is useless if your heart continues to hold grudges or never accept them truly."

"How do we know that?" Meyrin asked Shani timidly. "I mean… how can we learn to accept each other fully?" At this point, some of the students were chattering amongst themselves trying to figure out Meyrin's question. Shani's right eye opened up a little before answering his student's philosophical question. It was actually quite complicated.

"As long as there are differences in this world," began the Forbidden pilot once again catching all of their attention by speaking, "Sadly enough, we can never fully accept one another. If there aren't any differences, there wouldn't be any conflicts. I am not stating that we should just simply not try anymore and start taking out our rifles and shotguns to do some ethnic cleansing, we still have to try, we have to compromise."

"Compromise?" asked Lunamaria partially puzzled.

"That happens a lot in the political and social world these days, lady," Shani told her and the class but intentionally calling her lady instead of her name. "When there are dissimilarities among people, it obviously can have the potential to start problems. One side believes that they are right, and it happens that the other side also believes that they are correct. Think about it, it's a guarantee that no one would have a sure win when it comes to disputes –unless you permanently eliminate the opposition. If violence comes into place, the discussion is over. All solutions are like this now; they just have to live with it despite not having everything that they want. Like, I need to have this, and I could continue without that, and such. You gain some, and you lose some, so to speak."

"What about negligence, Lieutenant?" Shinn suddenly brought up an aspect that Shani forgot to mention.

"Negligence is almost like another definition of stubbornness," elaborated the Forbidden pilot giving a dark smirk, "Not willing to learn, not willing to compromise, not willing to cooperate… these attitudes are humanity's downfall and the sole reason why the previous war existed. Why did Junius 7 suffer from a nuclear explosion? Why did naturals have to be that foolish? Then what caused the coordinators to drop Neutron Jammers into the earth? If we humans in general were actually intelligent, we would notice that it's because of our pride, selfishness, and prejudice that caused all of this to happen."

From a disciplined, strict class, Shani easily turned it into a time where soldiers should fully understand the reasons why they fight. Unlike him, Shani did not want his present comrades to live a life where they were nothing but living CPUs to their superiors. Being a soldier wasn't all about shooting down their enemies, there was more than that.

Although Shani should've took them outside to do some major training, he thought teaching his soldiers a little bit about morality issues was the better choice today. Besides, the class did seem to enjoy it to a great length. Despite that the military trainees did want to have a large discussion about this controversial topic, Shani couldn't break the rules that greatly, and in the end he had to have them in the shooting ranges to practice.

After watching Shani for 2 hours, Lunamaria's heart began to pang with guilt. Was he really a pervert that she thought he was? Or was she just too harsh on him earlier? Why did her pride take over at the worst possible time, no, rather, why did her pride have to work on the wrong person at the wrong time? Why did everything have to turn out so hopelessly for her?

She wanted to apologize to him, yet she didn't know where to start. If he was just an average guy with no political status whatsoever, it wouldn't be a problem. Now, he was a Lieutenant, and as if that wasn't a complete disadvantage for her, Shani was now her superior. Lunamaria knew he recognized her –like how she recognized him after being a victim. It was so awkward, and her mind instantly went to knots still not knowing how she should proceed. From what she could gather from Shinn's look earlier, he insisted that she confronted him. In no position to argue, Lunamaria decided to meet with Shani after class. Obviously, the Forbidden pilot did not know this.

Now just outside Shani's office, Lunamaria took in a deep breath and prayed to kami-sama that everything would turn out okay. Even moving her hand was difficult; she knew she was shaking badly. As her hand felt the stainless doorknob, the cold feeling shot all throughout her body thus she shivered considerably. Was a simple apology that difficult? To her, it wasn't saying the words 'I am sorry' that was tough; it was the confrontation and wishing for their forgiveness. Knowing that she shouldn't be wasting anymore time, she breathed in and out one last time before knocking on the door.

_Here goes nothing, Lunamaria…_

_**AN: Hope you all love this cliffhanger, I know I could be that much of a bastard. Your words and suggestions are always helpful, I hope to see some of your words one day. The next update would take a while, but not that ridiculously long. I would say the chances for me to update within a week is zero, but two weeks would be a higher possibility. Please wish me luck physically and spiritually, I would need all the help I could get. Take care of yourselves wherever you all may be! I want to see you guys alive in the next chapter!**_

**_ALSO, I will talk about Kira and the rest during the exhibition in the next chapter. I would've put it in here but I figured I wanted to get Shani's mess out of the way first. Please be patient with me, thank you._**


	4. Find the Way

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_Chapter 4: Find the Way_

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts, and other thoughts are listed in italics.

Scene changes are written in bolded italic brackets.

**_AN: Okay, after watching Destiny 25 –I hope this helps answer some people's question as in 'Do I watch Destiny?' but if I do write about Stellar, Lunamaria, Shinn, and Meyrin… don't you think I actually watched it before I started this?- my mind was all on the natural (extended), and how they originated. I was hoping that my mind would settle down to write KiraLacus, AthrunCagalli, and DearkaMiriallia, but looks like I could not really focus on it with such impact put in my mind. To those who really wanted to see classic pairings, I will apologize since there is NONE in here. Really, I am very sorry._**

**_Luckily, a vast majority of you guys wanted to see ShaniLuna –is this actually a good pairing? I am stunned to see how many people actually told me by mail or review- and since Shani was a living CPU, I had the inspiration to write about him. So basically, this chapter is dedicated to ShaniLunamaria. Hope you all like it._**

**_Before I forget, there will be a StellarShaniLunamaria love triangle. Be prepared for it._**

**_Feel free to suggest good ideas for one-shots, I want to write something dark, drastic on paper. What I lack is a story line. I am actually quite depressed these days where I think my efforts mean nothing to anyone or even anything. I need to express my outrage on something…_**

**_Q&A Period: Where the author makes a horrible attempt at answering questions but does it nevertheless._**

_1Q: Why didn't I let Oruga live?_

1A: Was he that special to live?

_2Q: Will there be Gundams in this story?_

2A: Do you want there to be?

_3Q: Is this a ShinnStellar fiction?_

3A: Yes.

_4Q: How are Shinn and Stellar going to meet if one is in PLANT and the other on earth?_

4A: This is fiction, I can make it work. What other ways are there? Either one drops to earth for some reason or the other one goes to space and encounter another by coincidence. There are only two ways. If I told you, that would really spoil it, but feel free to keep guessing.

_5Q: Will I write more fluff and drama?_

5A: What does the genre of this story say?

_6Q: Can I do better in writing?_

6A: Why do you think I am practicing?

_7Q: Can Yzak pair up with Shiho? _

7A: I really would decide on that provided that if I know who that is! Episode 48 or 49 of Seed… someone with long brown hair does not really help. Well, either I am not very observant or I am just retarded… or a little combination of both… Okay, if you know anything about Shiho, or her appearance, or role, a natural or coordinator, then that may save me the trouble. I need to pair Yzak with someone eventually. Thank you so much!

**_AN: Let the endless saga continue… to those who reviewed, ARIGATO!_**

**_(At home, when everyone else went to the exhibition yesterday)_**

Yzak detested the situation he was in at the moment. Him, Yzak Jule, pilot of the Duel Gundam, Captain of the Jule squad, son of Ezaria Jule, had been ditched by a bunch of regular, middle class people. This was a complete outrage, and damn hell it would not be forgotten! How could they ever do this to him? Him, amongst all people! Damn it, him! Instead of enjoying his time outside with friends and fresh air, he was at his apartment doing nothing but sitting on the couch, watching television.

Opening the second bag of chips that was in Crot's secret stash –which was actually underneath the Raider pilot's bed-, Yzak took out a chip before looking bored for the hundredth time today. The Duel pilot had to admit that weekend afternoon reality shows were the worst –if he had no dignity or he was a great actor (of course he was none of those) he would say these shows were very stupidigo in an noticeable Italian accent, and a several hand signals would not hurt to prove his point. Long story short, all the shows were meaningless. He thought he had seen everything, until he watched "Touch the Stove".

"So, Mr Takeshi," said the host to the guest with a stove in between both of them, "How are you today?"

"I am actually…"

Then the guest's hand was grabbed forcefully before placing firmly on the burning stove.

"Touch the stove!" the host announced clearly and happily as the guest screamed in pain. Yzak obviously changed to the next channel without any hesitation. Unfortunately for him, he landed on a commercial that was advertising Halls.

"Halls Frost Breakers," said the advertiser in a thick Jamaican accent that annoyed Yzak to the top of his bent, "The candy with two jobs. Cure for the common cold, and a refreshing fruit taste sen-sa-tion! It tasted like Jamaica's famous Cowboy soup: the soup that could cure anything! Even infertility!" Yzak was cracking up with this point. This commercial would've been impressed until he saw the advertiser pointing to a man at complete random. "You! Trying to get pregnant? No? Well, I am!"

By that time, Yzak frantically searched for the remote and changed the channel not ever wanting to see that commercial again for as long as he lived. If he knew the thoughts of norms, he immediately dedicated himself to believe that men and pregnant in the same sentence was unquestionably bizarre. Correction, sickeningly wrong was a better phrase to describe it. The word fear would only be an understatement in this scenario.

This was boring, the Duel pilot thought, and he was desperately trying to plot some kind of revenge to that English teacher of theirs. Tanaka will pay for giving Yzak endless detentions. Ever since that "losing your virginity to mechanical bulls" comment, Tanaka had been very cautious on him. Rather, he tried finding all sorts of excuses to punish him, and being the Duel pilot, the gray haired coordinator would not simply let this thing slide without a tad bit of retaliation.

Yzak will humiliate him, but how? He knew that the school had a major work period due to the fact that some of the marks needed to be done for their next report card, and all the teacher's work spaces were in one large office room. In other words, everyone would be in one room. What was the best way to get back at him? Thanks to Crot, Yzak had hold on the phone line that accessed to Tanaka's desk. Suddenly, it hit him… the phone.

Giving a very dark, sinister laugh to no one in particular, Yzak commenced his plan and dialed the number. Tanaka was a fool, he would safely assume that much.

"Hello?" a voice came on the other end after a few rings. The Duel pilot instantly recognized that it was his victim.

"Yeah," began the coordinator easily in a moderate pace, "I'm looking for Mr. Jaspankme. First name, Haywood."

"Hold on a second," he replied before turning towards the whole crowd. "Haywood Jaspankme. Guys, guys, Haywood Jaspankme!" The room howled with laughter with Tanaka still completely oblivious. Yzak tried very hard not to chuckle at this. When the teacher finally realized he had just said 'Hey-would-you-spank-me', his eyes went wide with rage. He had been tricked! "If I catch you," he said harshly on the phone with venom dripping all over his voice, "I'll pull your arms off and wear them for a scarf!"

Yzak merely laughed to himself before hanging up. That teacher was such a fool. Ten minutes later, he tried again.

"I'm looking for Mr. Nugglybutt," said Yzak casually, "First name, Ivan." Again, Tanaka did not even know this was a prank.

"Ivan Nugglybutt," announced the teacher loudly to his co-workers, "Does anyone know Ivan Nugglybutt?" Once more, Yzak heard roars of amused laughter, and he was nearly certain that Tanaka did not even know what was going on until it was too late. Indeed, it was. "You!" he shouted back at Yzak. "If I ever catch you, I'll put an umbrella up your nose and open it!"

As if that was good enough to make the Duel pilot shiver, as a soldier of ZAFT, minor death threats meant nothing. Still not having enough yet, Yzak dialed the same number in the next twenty minutes. Moreover, Tanaka was a fool, he would never figure out why his teacher was an idiot. Moreover, how was he a teacher? It didn't matter at all to Yzak, this man was the ideal victim.

"I'm looking for Mr. Rotchtickles, first name, Mike." Once more, Tanaka believed it like a moron before facing his fellow teachers not believing this call was a trap.

"Mike Rotchtickles, does anyone know Mike Rotchtickles?" Just when Yzak thought his last prank was good; this time he knew the third one was a great success. He could hear people rolling on the floor laughing, some sniffing sound could be heard as well. Then, he caught someone patting the teacher's shoulders quite hard, anyone could detect that it wasn't anything close to encouraging. If this was encouraging, what was considered insulting?

"How many secrets do you even want to tell us, Tanaka?" questioned a teacher, which Yzak identified as the physical education instructor. "First you wanted someone to spank you, then you told us you have an ugly butt, and now you are even shameless enough to say your crotch tickles. Man-"

"It's all because of these damned phone calls!" screamed the English teacher at maximum rage before screaming at the receiver. "You! Damn you! Damn you and your damn calls, damned bastard! Damn you!" He then noticed the caller had hung up. "Damn you, bitch! Bitch! Bloody bleeding bitch, I know you can hear me, bitch!" Even after his utmost furious outburst, the teachers still laughed loudly. His strong, firm, solemn dignity was all flushed down in less than an hour.

At home, Yzak could not stop cackling at his own menacing, cruel, and destructive success.

_This was too easy…_

**_(At Exhibition grounds earlier that day)_**

"I'm hungry…" whispered Stellar politely to her companion, Crot, who was sitting beside her on the driver's seat on an Initial D arcade game. If the Raider pilot was not done his game yet, he would not have answered the blond dancer. Luckily, he just beat his opponent –who was across from him- and turned to face Stellar. "Crot… I'm hungry…"

"Already?" he asked giving her a grin when she nodded innocently.

"We didn't have lunch yet, remember?"

"We didn't?" Promptly, Crot's stomach began to growl rather too loudly. He cursed to himself where as Stellar laughed very pleasantly. The Raider pilot couldn't help but grunt to save the remnants of his pride. "Okay, fine, let's eat!" As he got off the driver seat by slipping off to the left, Stellar gracefully stood back up before following her sempai like a schoolgirl. She was giggling the entire time; Crot wondered what she would be so delighted about. Nonetheless, it soothed his spirit every time he remembered about the Rodnia Laboratory.

"Should we find a seat?" asked Stellar quietly when she saw so many people around. Some were by themselves; others were flirting with girls; girls were flirting with guys; and the rest were with their own ring of friends. When the two living CPUs finally found a table for two, they plopped down on their seats with a sigh of exhaustion. In such a busy district, it was quiteeasy to get worn out.

"What do you want to eat, Stellar?" offered the Raider pilot leaning in a little closer so he wouldn't feel that distant from her. He then looked around the food court area, there were over a dozen places to choose from. Crot groaned seeing the variety, he was not the most decisive person when it came to food.

"I don't mind," she replied with a happy smile. That didn't ease his problem one bit. "Anything would be good."

"How about pizza?" he suddenly suggested knowing he hadn't had that in quite a while. When Stellar nodded silently, the Raider pilot got off from his seat and ran to the nearest stand that sold pizza. Without him knowing, the magenta eyed natural took out a small digital camera that she bought the other day from her purse and took a picture of Crot's running form. Normally, she wouldn't bother taking such useless pictures, but this one was an exception.

If she managed to find Crot lying on the floor due to tripping, she wouldn't miss that chance. Laughing by herself when she looked at the picture again, she decided not to show Crot this. However, Shani was another story. Maybe showing her other girl friends would not hurt either; they all could use a good laugh after all.

When Crot came back with a medium sized pizza with two large sized sodas and two chocolate bars, Stellar smiled kindly before helping him place the pizza to lighten his load. After giving a short prayer, they smiled at another before digging in. Surprisingly enough, this was one of the first times that both of them had pizza. Days back in the military and the laboratory did not give them much of a chance to eat such good foods –despite how dangerously unhealthy fast foods may be.

"This is good," commented the blond natural honestly as she took another small bite.

"Yeah!" cheered Crot as he consumed another gulp of cola. Due to his quick actions, he choked –which made Stellar laugh for the hundredth time that day.

"You okay?" she asked checking if he was fine. Obviously, the Raider pilot just said yes.

"I'll be fine…" However, Stellar detected a little sadness in his voice. Crot was never sad for the amount of years that she had known him. Her own intuitions somehow gave her an answer.

"Thinking about the old days, Crot?"

"You can't really help not thinking about it…" he answered with the most amount of seriousness ever since they reunited. "Can you even imagine how many years I actually wanted this… this freedom?"

"I don't know…" replied Stellar with guilt seeing that she couldn't answer his question.

"Ever since Shani left… I feel alone…"

"Why?" she asked innocently but actually trying to let him open up.

"Shani raised you up from a girl to now, you should know why."

"I am not talking about Shani-kun," said Stellar firmly, "I am talking about you. What are you feeling inside?"

"Don't need to concern yourself with me, Stellar," the Raider pilot stated brushing everything off with a very convincing smile but the girl knew he was trying to cover it. If he persisted not to share, she wouldn't force it on him. Besides, it wasn't like her days in the past were any more peaceful and hurting than Crot's. In all honesty, Stellar actually envied Shani, Oruga, and Crot for becoming official members of the EAF when she remained in the lab like some tool waiting to be used. They actually got to leave that hellhole, and the girl never felt more alone in her life. That happened when she was thirteen.

Little did she know, her friends did not have much of a good time despite being mobile suit pilots.

"Crot…"

"You told me the other day that you ditched the laboratory two years after we left, right?" Stellar nodded, "I wouldn't blame you for escaping, glad that you did though. How did you do it?"

"It was actually pretty easy when you are a living CPU trained with skilled assassinations," replied the shy Stellar looking at her hands painfully, it had been stained with too much blood although she did not participate in the war whatsoever. "I took a knife and cut off the tracking device thing on your neck so they can't track me. The sensors did notice that my ring was no longer working but I was insignificant amongst everyone… that's why I wasn't found out until later. When I hijacked a fighter jet, all of them were unprepared."

"Did they chase after you?" asked Crot now quite worried.

"Yes…"

"Were you scared? Scared of dying?"

"It was better to leave than to be scared at that time…" she told him with a sincere grin, "But when I think about it again… if I was going to pull off that kind of stunt again… I think I would be dead frozen…"

"I can only imagine…" sighed the Raider pilot, swirling his soda with a straw.

"I escaped successfully," continued the blond dancer now no louder than a whisper, "But the fear and shock finally came onto me as time went on. I didn't know where I should be going, nor did I have a place to go. All I wanted to do was to escape from that place not ever wanting to go back there again. When my plane finally went out of fuel, I began to descend quickly downward. I thought I was going to die… and when I had a severe collision… I really believed my life was over."

"Then what happened?" Crot inquired telling her to take a sip before continuing. Stellar did follow his instructions, and after swallowing the liquids, she began once more.

"I woke up not knowing how long it had been… but when I did… I found out it had been three months. I landed in Osaka, Japan, one of the neutral cities in Japan… well, Japan in general was a neutral country like Switzerland… and I was kept at the hospital since my coma… well, my condition wasn't too stable. I gotten a lot better gradually and was about to be released from the hospital… but yet… I had no family, no friends except you two, and most importantly I don't have any personal information about myself other than that I belonged to EAF."

"Of course you wouldn't want to go back…" the Raider pilot stated easily.

"Yeah…"

"Then what did you do?"

"I remained in the hospital until the war was over… I was safe, a bit lonely, but I knew that I was safe. I was about to be transferred to Orb to live there but I heard that the EAF had invaded it so I didn't go. Until the war was finally over, Orb had contacted me about their after war plans. I was a living CPU who needed a chance to live out my life properly… and when Orb high class members told me in the mail that Murrue Ramius and the Archangel crew were coming to Kyoto… I had to come too."

"And that was how you got accepted… and you never expected that we were there with them…"

"I am really happy that you are alive, Crot-sempai," said Stellar honestly with a grateful smile, that made Crot weakly grin. He deeply sympathized what his good friend had to go through, but to the very least, she was safe. Compared to him, Stellar had paradise. Although he was a little envious that she escaped from the lab, it was for the best that she found her freedom. Now, she even found her life.

"Same here," he said genuinely.

"Let's take a picture," she suddenly suggested as she took her camera back out, and went beside him gracefully.

"Just the two of us?" Crot inquired raising a brow with surprise. She nodded promptly with glee.

"It's a good way to make good memories…" she reasoned as she prepared her camera, "Besides, I want to send it to Shani-kun." Then her right arm went around his neck and tugged it close to her body where as her left arm was stretched in front, ready to take the picture. Without any warning, she took the shot, and Crot was not even ready.

The photo in the end had Stellar smiling brightly at right, and Crot choking and gasping at the left. The blond girl knew Shani would laugh when he saw this. She couldn't wait until she would go back home.

"You want to go somewhere, Stellar?" asked Crot after the girl released him. Stellar just smiled back her own charming smile that rivaled Lacus'.

"I want to go to the aquarium, Crot-sempai…" the blond dancer told him timidly. "Can you take me there?"

"Gladly."

**_(At ZAFT headquarters in the present)_**

"Lieutenant," Lunamaria called as she knocked on the door that accessed to Shani's office. If anyone saw her right now, they would know she was deeply nervous and afraid. She didn't have the confidence to face Shani at all, Shinn's requests were no different from giving her a death sentence. "Are you in there?" she asked with her voice filled with dread.

"I'm blind, not deaf," the voice from inside said to her stoically. Lunamaria flushed up with embarrassment when she figured that she knocked a tad too many times. "You may come in." Given permission, the coordinator lady quietly entered. When she turned around to the left, she saw Shani was actually typing on his laptop while taking a bite at his hamburger.

"Lieutenant," Lunamaria saluted promptly but Shani only gave her a queer look.

"No need to be so formal with me," Shani told her with a grin, "Although we are soldiers, I am still a rookie when it comes to this… Well, let's just say I never got such respect."

"Oh…"

"You had lunch yet?" asked the Forbidden pilot with his one eye watching her closely. Lunamaria sheepishly shook her head. "Well, I brought too many burgers before, I don't think I could finish the remaining three that I have. I wouldn't mind giving two of them to you, it's better than wasting it."

"I can't accept that, Lieutenant," justified the dark magenta haired coordinator refusing his offer hastily, "I will just buy my own later."

"You don't need to feel uneasy just because you caused me to go to the hospital, Lunamaria-san," Obviously, that statement made the girl pale up. He remembered everything, nothing escaped the Forbidden pilot. "What's with the shocked expression?" Shani inquired knowingly, "You look like as if you've seen a ghost."

"I…" she began to choke and feel very badly with fear. "I… I… I… I…"

"Lunamaria?"

"I am sorry!" she screamed with eyes closed and not expecting any forgiveness. "I really am! Please forgive me!"

"What?" Shani questioned with utmost confusion. Why was she doing this? "Lunamaria…"

"I'm sorry that I called you a pervert when you were only trying to help! I am sorry that I was being rude to you on the shuttle when you only wanted to be my friend! I am sorry that I was a bitch! I am sorry that I was in a daydream and bit you! I am sorry that you were in the hospital and as the abuser I didn't even visit you. I am sorry for not apologizing to you earlier, but I was scared, I was scared that because now you are my commander and I don't know how you will react. I am afraid of going to custody, I am afraid that you would sue me and then I can no longer be a soldier! So please, Shani-sama, forgive me although I don't deserve it! Please find it in your heart to forgive me!"

By this time, Lunamaria was already in front of Shani with her hands grabbing his shoulders, shaking him violently as she continued to plea. The Forbidden pilot didn't even know what happened just now, all he knew was that he had a weird dream where he saw fire, tombstones, and little green things that stabbed things up his butt. As his eyes focussed again, he blushed slightly when he saw Lunamaria's face was inches away from his looking absolutely desperate for forgiveness. He had trouble keeping eye contact but the girl ceaselessly pierced into his.

"Uh… um…"

Her grip on him strengthened. "Shani Andras," she declared softly but Shani was flinching at this point. "Please… Forgive me…"

"Lunamaria-san…" choked the green haired natural, "I was never mad at you." That caught her attention quite well. "I never even thought of arresting you, what happened between us was an accident. You didn't bite me on purpose –even though it did hurt quite a bit. As far as I am concerned, I should be sorry for holding you on the breasts… I feel very ashamed for doing that…"

"No, you were just trying to help me," she told him in a friendly voice as she moved away from him a little. Even she didn't realize how hard she was holding him before. "I was just being clumsy."

"That's not what you said when I tried to justify myself."

"I was angry," Lunamaria reasoned with a smile, "I wasn't thinking straight. Like, come on, which girl wouldn't when a guy touched one of their forbidden areas? You would be furious as well."

"I guess…" said Shani considering her reasons before grinning. "Well, now that is all settled, you still want to have lunch?" The coordinator lady nodded promptly with delight.

"I'm actually starving." A blush crept to her cheeks when she spilled out her little secret, she didn't want to make herself look like a pig now –she really did like to eat. "Can I have a burger now?" Shani chuckled inwardly before tossing her the aluminum wrapped cheeseburger. Once Lunamaria caught it with both hands, she immediately unwrapped it before taking a big bite into it. She seemed very satisfied.

"Is it good?" questioned the ZAFT Lieutenant as he went to check his mail on his computer.

"Yeah!" she announced happily before she found out he was giving his attention to the computer screen. "What are you doing, Shani-san?"

"Looking at some of the photos that my friend sent me just now, hey, want to come and take a look?" Seeing there was no hurt in taking a several glimpses of pictures, the girl decided to check it out. Lunamaria was surprised at the first photo that was displayed; there was an orange hair male with a comb-over, and a girl with radiating blond hair with beautiful magenta eyes. What made her giggle was that the girl was happy and the guy was gasping for air. Unknown to her, those two were Stellar and Crot.

"The girl is beautiful…" commented Lunamaria a little bit jealous when she found Shani smiling at the picture somewhat admiringly. She didn't know why she was jealous, what reasons did she have for feeling this way. It was unexplainable, yet the feeling was clearly there. She cursed herself in her mind for having such emotions.

"Yeah," replied Shani. "Her name is Stellar Louissier, one of my closest childhood friends."

"Is that so?" she asked a little bit hesitant to compliment Stellar. However, Shani didn't detect it at all.

"The other one is Crot Buer, my buddy ever since… well ever since I could remember things…"

"He's pretty good looking," Lunamaria told Shani this time honestly. Shani agreed also when he clicked the next picture where Stellar was in front of an aquarium glass dancing. The photographer was Crot, and judging by the picture, Stellar looked very appealing. To Shani, she was quite sexy.

At the same time, Lunamaria did not find it so impressive. Even her cheeseburger did not relieve her envious passion, she did not know why she was so angry. What was her source of jealousy? What was causing all this to happen? Did she hate Stellar? No, she knew she didn't for she could not hate someone that she did not know. In addition, Lunamaria usually would not let this get to her. However, all she did know was that she didn't like Shani looking at another girl with "that" smile.

After knowing Shani was not a pervert, she loved his charming smile. It was filled with understanding and consideration. Not like she would admit it to him out loud though, he was her superior. Yet, she considered him handsome the first time they had met.

Although Shani still had many pictures from Stellar, Lunamaria quickly excused herself before her jealousy took the better of her. Unfortunately, she missed plenty of pictures of her admirer, Athrun Zala. Shani obviously did not tell her that Athrun was his friend; it wasn't like he knew how the coordinator girl felt about the Justice pilot. Somehow, the Forbidden pilot figured that Lunamaria might not be too interested in them. Who would blame her, they were strangers to her.

"You don't have to leave yet, Lunamaria-san," said Shani with guilt. He noticed Lunamaria wasn't too happy ever since he showed the pictures. Whether he was boring her, or the pictures itself were giving off an impression of dislike –he didn't know it was Stellar that upset her. "The break isn't over yet after all."

"I think I should go and take a few practice shots at the shooting range…" she told him with her back turned.

"You know…" Shani said as he twirled his own pistol before aiming it skillfully, "It has been a while since I shot."

"You coming with me?" the magenta haired girl inquired very hopefully. She blushed a little bit when she realized that she spoke a little too outwardly but luckily for her, Shani did not notice it.

"Yeah."

"At least you are a lot better than my ex-boyfriend."

"Oh, you broke up with him?" questioned Shani curiously, "What did he do to make you dump him? Don't mind me asking, I am just an inquisitive person. You don't have to if you think it's too personal."

"Oh, not at all," said Lunamaria as she went back to Shani before reaching her hand out to take his. She guided him to the small couch he had at the back of his office before sitting sweetly beside him. "We had a cold point in our relationship, and then we suggested that we should be seeing other people. You know, to chill."

"Of course," Shani was listening quite well to her surprise.

"We were just seeing another person, we were not supposed to be serious since we dedicated ourselves to be serious with another when we were ready. Like typical men, my ex loved to make love, and since I didn't want it yet, he was dying to have the chance to do it. That was why we needed to chill for a while. I didn't really trust my ex, and so I gave him a teddy bear as a present. What he didn't know was that there was a hidden camera so I could spy on him when he brings a girl home, I should tell you that I put the teddy bear in his room."

"That's logical," commented the Forbidden pilot. "Did he bring any girl home?"

"He did," replied Lunamaria, "And I thought that he was actually serious with a girl."

"Is that why you dumped him?"

"I wish he was though, but by then I found out that he was getting pretty serious with the teddy bear."

At that instant, the one-eyed natural's eye bulged out, and he didn't even know what he should do: howl with laughter, or feel disgusted. It didn't really matter, Lunamaria could see he was evidently disturbed, yet a great sense of amusement was plastered on his features. In other words, she didn't know if Shani found it funny or sickening. However, when he started to chuckle, she smiled. Once he was laughing very badly, she laughed along with him.

"I am glad that you got out of that relationship, Lunamaria-san," stated Shani with relief, "Your ex… really needs some emotional treatment… What happened to him?"

"Don't know," she replied casually as she finished her cheeseburger at last. "I haven't seen him ever since I became a student in the ZAFT military. Call me coldhearted, but I really don't miss him." Shani was not surprised one bit. Sadly enough, he would do the same thing and isolate himself from such freaks. Having making love sessions with a stuffed animal was not something he should be liking. Admiring someone like that was a bad place to be.

"Should we get going?" offered Shani clearly disturbed.

"Sure!" Lunamaria exclaimed before she and her superior headed down to the shooting chamber.

**_(Meanwhile at the shooting ranges)_**

"Shinn…" whined Meyrin with a pout, "I've tried so many times… and I still can't shoot that target right…" The vampiric coordinator merely turned his head around dully before approaching the younger Hawke sister. He slipped his gun back into his holster as he checked on her sidearm.

"What's your score so far, Meyrin?" asked Shinn looking at her in the eye.

"10?" she replied sheepishly in a form of a question. In a score out of 100, 10 was undoubtedly a low score.

"That's pretty bad…" commented the black haired coordinator trying to figure out the best words so he wouldn't hurt her. Much to his discomfort, his brain did not seem to function in the manner that he intended. He cursed for his lack of versatility, or just lacking intelligence in general. Meyrin gave him a disapproving look before Shinn realized he said something wrong. Moreover, he was not a woman person.

"Well, thanks for hurting my pride more, Shinn!" she pouted with a frown, "That hurts…"

"I'm so sorry, Meyrin," Shinn apologized immediately as he began to coo her. Hopefully that would cheer her up. "Don't worry about it, I can help you. I will help you for certain."

"Really?" she suddenly broke out of her whining and watched him with hope.

"Yes…"

"Really, really?" Meyrin's eyes are now glowing and sparkling.

"Yes, yes," said Shinn nodding before taking another step closer to her. "You said that you got a 10?"

"Yeah…" she replied sadly with shame. For a soldier to be getting a 10 at shooting was very poor, and nothing to be proud of, "And I need at least a 65 to pass it. Soldiers who can't shoot at all are pretty much useless…"

"Don't say that, Meyrin," stated the vampiric coordinator patting her back supportively. "Practice makes perfect."

The red head just watched him confusedly. "How? But I suck so bad at it…"

"Maybe you aren't holding your gun correctly," he suggested some of the possible problems. "Or, you could be just too nervous. Hey, you can't really rush at these things, Meyrin, you just need more time to get the hang of it." Meyrin smiled gratefully at Shinn for giving her such hope. It wasn't too often that he was this gentle. To put it in simpler terms, she learned to cherish it.

"What kind of score did you get then, Shinn?" the coordinator girl asked softly. When Shinn heard her question, he immediately choked slightly. She wondered why he would be hesitating. In addition, he seemed to be darting his eyes everywhere, deliberately trying to avoid eye contact.

"I… I…" Shinn was faltering, and that rarely happened. "Well, let's just say I got a 70…"

"So high?" she shouted out loud at once. "That's amazing!"

"I fluked it all… well, some of it," he told her humbly, "But at least I know how to hold a gun." Meyrin pouted again before Shinn chuckled silently under his breath. The red hair girl was so adorable when she pouted, maybe he would just tell her one day before perverted guys start fainting from her beauty. Someday, Shinn thought, someday.

"You got to teach me how to shoot better, Shinn!"

"Don't worry, I will teach you." Suddenly, someone entered for the sliding doors opened as it made that shifting sound. Curiosity took the better of them, and in a natural reaction, they turned around to face the newcomers. Shinn looked shocked to see Shani –not necessarily him, but he was with Lunamaria- and Meyrin smiled happily to see them both.

When Lunamaria saw her sister and Shinn were present before them, she easily gave a greeting smile. Shani, on the other hand, was still trying to figure out what their names were. In less than a second, the Forbidden pilot remembered the male was Shinn, but he did not remember the younger girl. It didn't matter, someone would tell him eventually.

Lunamaria approached Meyrin with a smile, "What a coincidence," the older Hawke sister said brightly, "You guys are practicing as well?"

"Yeah," answered Meyrin exuberantly, "I got to get better in order to pass the test. I'm sad, nee-chan, I only got a 10 on the shooting…" Lunamaria looked very empathetic at the moment. "But Shinn is going to teach me, he actually got a 70!" Now, the magenta haired girl was quite impressed.

"A 70, Shinn?" asked Lunamaria, smiling proudly. "You're going to pass this for sure." Shinn scratched his head as he heard her compliment. After all, he was a humble guy.

"It was just a fluke, Luna," justified the vampiric coordinator not willing to accept all the praise. "Besides, I just practiced a lot…"

"You are a natural and you know it," complimented Lunamaria once more. "I think I need more practice myself. I only got 50… nothing too impressive, is it?" Shinn and Meyrin did not make much comments, but they chose to smile with understanding. Shani -who had been quite for a while- then decided to leave them alone a minute ago before taking out an MP5 from the shelf. He quickly reloaded it like how he was taught in the Rodnia Laboratory ever since he was a kid and aimed it at the target with only one hand.

When Lunamaria realized that she had ignored her superior completely for a while, she felt very guilty. Just as she turned to her right wanting to apologize, she stopped when she found out he was no longer there. Instead, he was already at the shooting ranges at the far end ignoring everyone else who was in the room. What surprise the rookies was that he was not using a pistol but a sub-machine gun. In addition, he wasn't even using both hands.

Meyrin, Shinn, and Lunamaria watched him carefully as the Forbidden pilot fired at the target without changing his solemn face for a second. All three coordinator's eyes went wide when the bullets were nearly firing in one line. For someone to handle an automatic weapon that well as if it was the easiest thing in the world was not normal. Shani's hands weren't even moving; his eye was not flinching to focus; he wasn't wearing a visor or sound protector and yet he was so calm. No one in the entire military could shoot as emotionless as he did, and after fifty bullets, Lunamaria gasped to herself when she found the bullet holes were all near the center mark of the heart.

For someone to shoot like that with an MP5 was definitely unreal, and once the three saw Shani reload, they barely caught up with his hands for they worked like magic. A few waves, a several clicking sounds emitting from the firearm and he was done. That was simply amazing. No wonder he was a Lieutenant, but yet he had skills that surpassed someone with that rank.

"Amazing!" Lunamaria cheered as she ran to Shani's side with a delighted smile on her face. It showed care, respect, and most importantly admiration. The Forbidden pilot wondered what he actually did to make Lunamaria smile like that at him. When Shani scanned his eye behind his fellow female student, he noticed that Shinn and Meyrin were also quite shocked. Their eyes told him everything. "That was so amazing, Shani!"

"How did you do that?" Meyrin squealed happily before running to him, and taking his hands to check the firearm. "How did you not make it move at all? Is there a secret in this gun that we don't know? Is there? Is there?" Shani did not even know how to answer her.

"Rather…" Shinn said suspiciously, "How can you shoot as if you had been shooting all your life?"

The Forbidden pilot knew he needed to lie. "How is that even possible, Shinn-kun?" Shani asked to justify himself. He couldn't tell them facts that happened in the Rodnia laboratory this quickly, the fact that he was a living CPU was not something he wanted to share this quickly. Even Kira and the gang did not truly understand his past yet, and these new friends were no exception.

"You tell me…" the vampiric coordinator stated. He was still quite stunned at the previous performance but chose to remain silent instead of yelling in delight. "You looked a pro. You are no beginner."

"Obviously," stated the ZAFT Lieutenant not lying this time around, "I have been a soldier for many years now after all. I have learned to shoot of course." It was that moment when Meyrin cut in.

"Can you teach me to shoot like that, Lieutenant-sama?" she begged with puppy eyes, and battling her adorable eyelashes somewhat alluringly. "I don't know what I am doing wrong, and if I don't pass the test… I will have to repeat the entire course until I get it right. No one fails on this test, and I don't want to fall behind with my friends and nee-chan. Lieutenant Shani, can you plase tell me what I am doing incorrectly?"

Shani only accepted her request, he didn't want to see his students fail of course. Unknown to all of them, except for Shinn, Lunamaria was staring at her sister the entire time during her pleading. Obviously, she was disapproving it but did not have the heart to say it out loud. Shinn noticed Lunamaria's look, and the coordinator girl even looked at Shani with envy. After frowning a little bit, she became completely outraged when Shani guided Meyrin to the shooting range, teaching her how to shoot properly. Meyrin blushed a little as Shani's hand overlapped hers so he could elaborate on how to hold the gun properly.

Although the Forbidden pilot was not behind Meyrin –so she would be leaning on him-, Lunamaria was showing nothing but disbelief and jealousy. The vampiric coordinator only chose to be quiet and observed what kind of changes he would need to improve his own shooting. Shani clearly did not detect any of us; despite him being sharp at times, he could also be quite oblivious.

"See," began Shani as he looked at Meyrin's form, "If you hold it like that, the grip that your hand is giving on to the gun is altered. If you do hold it in the way that you're doing right now, it's fairly easy for anyone to knock it off." He then showed an example and twisted the younger girl's hand gently. Surprisingly enough, despite the lack of power delivered, Meyrin did drop the gun as expected. All three coordinators could tell he was unquestionably skilled. "Also, you seem to be afraid of the firearm, and you are carrying it too softly. You need to be firm, you need to tell the enemy who is the boss when you have this on you."

Meyrin nodded sheepishly as of result, "I understand, Lieutenant…"

"Don't tend to twist your arm too much either, it does affect the shooting later on, and possibly on every weapon that you may handle in the future. Furthermore, don't be scared of the sound of the gun." Shinn and Lunamaria seemed surprised to hear that point being brought up. Meyrin was bewildered in terms of why Shani saw through her like glass. Just before she was about to protest, Shani beat her to it. "I saw you flinching before you were about to fire. And I can assume that you're not afraid of the bullet that is being shot, it's rather the loud sound that the gun itself makes when it's being fired."

"How do you know?" questioned Meyrin with admiring eyes. Lunamaria silently watched at her sister but she did not see it.

"I've seen a lot of people like that," explained the ZAFT Lieutenant as he took a pistol from the shelf. "Mostly girls though. Not trying to be stereotypical, but it's most of the girls that I know that were afraid of the loud sound that the gun emits. Can't blame them, it is quite loud and sudden. Hey, even some guys I know were afraid of it, maybe some people are just more sensitive than others."

"What can I do to change?" asked Shinn unexpectedly. He then retracted his statement. "Or rather, what can people do to improve? I know I fluke my results…" He soon scratched his head, and Shani just chose to grin with understanding.

"One thing: confidence," replied the Forbidden pilot sincerely, "Without it, you can't do anything, and lacking it means that no one else could help you." Just when he wanted to say more, the clock on the wall began to ring. Once all four soldiers heard the signal, they quickly glanced at the wall and winced. It was 12:55 PM, and the next session would start in five minutes. It appeared that time did fly when it was cherished, and Shani groaned knowing that he had another class to teach.

"It's time to go, isn't it?" asked Lunamaria sadly as she figured that she didn't even fire a shot today.

"Certainly looks that way," replied Shinn with irritation. He couldn't wait until he graduated from the rotten hellhole. Although he had a pretty cool instructor –and it was only the first day he had him-, he knew the curriculum of this course. It was pretty obvious to anyone that he wanted to be a red coat sometime soon.

"Can you teach me more on shooting next time, Lieutenant?" asked a hopeful Meyrin as she placed all her equipment back to where they belong. Shani silently nodded before the younger Hawke sister cheered happily. "You're the coolest Lieutenant ever!" The Forbidden pilot didn't even know how he should be reacting, no one ever spoke those words when he was in the EAF. Why would they, he was a biological weapon. Somehow, it just felt good to be appreciated, and he just had the assurance he needed to know he was doing a fine job at this.

By the end of this session, Shani still failed to realize Lunamaria's suppressed feelings.

**_(Half an hour after the second class)_**

Shani Andras was quite a busy person ever since he had his freedom. He never expected life to be this difficult, but at the same time, he was quite prepared to face anything. After being a caged bird in the Rodnia Laboratory, it was clear that the facility taught them what they wanted them to know. They only had knowledge of whatever the organization wanted them to have in their heads; they had to believe what the doctors believed; and as long as they lived, they were nothing but puppets. Being an isolated person only meant isolation from the world itself, all they knew to do was kill, destroy, and annihilate. The only other things that Shani actually learned in the lab were human communication, and possibly how to speak, write, and read. Despite being weapons, they could not be that ignorant.

After his teaching today, he finally had some spare time to deal with personal issues. Heine told him that he would have a place to stay while he was up at PLANT, but Shani would not live there for too long for that place was called military dormitory. In all honesty, Heine's offer was a kind one, and most importantly, it was free. However, the Forbidden pilot lived in dorms all his life –of course he did not tell Heine all the personal details- and he could not stand sleeping in one for as long as he had this career. To respond to this, Shani decided to search for an apartment that he could rent. To put it short, he would live in the dorm until a new home could be found.

After changing back into his more casual clothing, packing his necessities, printing off some of the pages that he needed off the internet, Shani went to Heine's office to borrow a map. As he exited the Faith member's door, he immediately opened up the map to figure out his destinations. Fortunately, the roads in PLANT appeared to be simpler than the ones in Kyoto. Regardless of the difficulties, that would not stop him from exploring. He headed towards the main doors preparing to leave.

At that instant, someone bumped into his back. Once the Forbidden pilot felt the push, he immediately turned around to see who it might be. His right eye opened slightly more when he noticed that it was Lunamaria. She blushed insignificantly at her clumsiness, but more so because she bumped into Shani.

"Hello," greeted the Forbidden pilot to his student kindly as he moved his eye to her head level.

"Hi," she greeted back with a smile. "Shani, are you going somewhere?"

"I am actually planning to leave, Lunamaria-san," he replied grinning back. It was then when the girl saw the bunch of papers that he was carrying in his left hand. Judging from the size of one of the booklets, she was certain that it was a map.

"Where are you leaving?" she asked in a desperate hurry, "Are you quitting as a soldier and look for another job? So soon? You were just a soldier for one day and you're doing such a good job at it! Why are you resigning? Can't you consider it before making such a big decision?" Shani wanted to laugh at her silly thoughts, but he wisely decided to keep it quiet. This was still military grounds after all.

"Of course I am not quitting, Lunamaria-san," he said back with a grin wider than before, "I am just looking for an apartment. Let's just say I am not a big fan of residence…" The coordinator girl certainly felt dumb.

"Isn't it the same thing though?"

"It's not the same. I enjoy apartment life a lot more." It was then something struck her.

"Are you going to look for an apartment alone?" she suddenly questioned him out of the blue.

"Yes…" answered Shani slowly.

"How can you go there alone? You don't know your way around! You'll get lost."

"Don't worry about me, Lunamaria-san," said the Forbidden pilot confidently, "I am quite adaptable to new places. I will be fine, I promise."

"No, you need someone to come with you," she immediately insisted pushing Shani's words aside. "I know, I will come with you so we can find the places faster." Shani's eyes widened at her decision. How could he trouble her at a time like this? It didn't feel right. "You know what, wait for me here. I will change and meet with you."

"Luna…" He wanted to protest –not because he disliked her company, but rather he felt that she didn't need to do this for him. Especially when they made up a several hours ago, Shani did not wish for Lunamaria to believe that her charity was an obligation. Of course, Lunamaria did not think this was sympathy, she wanted to do this wholeheartedly.

"No buts, Shani," she justified by silencing him with her finger on his lips. "You need my help. Wait for me here and don't leave. If you do…" she said the last part threateningly. "I will bite you again." Remembering that incident, Shani touched his bandaged neck with caution. Sweating a little bit, he humbly obeyed. Seeing that he agreed, she happily skipped off back to her room to change. As Shani watched her retreating form, he took a deep sigh to himself before finding one of those couches in the lobby.

He soon plopped down lazily on one of them, waiting for Lunamaria to return. Second went to minutes, and minutes turned into more minutes. Shani wanted to leave this base by 3:30, but now it was already 4. Women, they could really take their time in the bathroom or when they were doing their necessities. He was somewhat glad he wasn't born in the body of a woman, or his life would've made a drastic turn for the worse. At long last, Lunamaria came back, jogging happily in her casual clothes –the same one that she had when they had first met.

"Did I take too long?" she asked apologetically, but Shani quickly shook it off.

"No, it was fine," he lied to a certain degree.

"I used a new shampoo," she told him sweetly and took a sniff of the green apple aroma.

"As what?" Shani questioned deliberately with one brow raised all too knowingly. Lunamaria pouted again as a result.

"You're mean!" the coordinator girl declared as she stuck out her tongue to tease him back. She soon turned towards the opposite direction and marched off without him. What did she say about being a guide earlier? How could she ditch him without telling him, wait, wasn't that what ditch meant? Giving a tiring grunt, Shani chased after her. In his deep sub-consciousness, he noticed that Lunamaria was a lot like Stellar. However, his conscious level refused to be that sharp at the moment.

_**(On the streets of PLANT)**_

"You don't need to stick with me for so long, Lunamaria-san," said Shani to his female companion as he scratched off the third place of many of the choices he selected on his list. They just exited an apartment just now due to the fact that the landlord was not the most respectable person. He had strong prejudices against naturals. "I can do this alone, I don't want to tire you out."

"It's not so bad, Shani," she reasoned cutely as she stuck out her tongue once more at the apartment building. That man was a complete jackass, how dare he wanted to charge more rent due to the fact that Shani was a natural! In addition, had he not know that the war was over? Forgiveness and acceptance was the way to head to success, not showing immoral personal hatred. As long as anyone was concerned, it was those people that had the potential to revive the previous war. To be blunt, Lunamaria thought that landlord was a damned retard. "I don't really have anything to do today anyway, just think of it as chilling."

"I wouldn't consider looking for a home chilling though…"

"Then think of it as hanging out with a friend. Besides, I am a very good negotiator. Without me, who knows what would've happened."

"Then I simply would not rent that place."

"I am also here to keep you company," justified the coordinator girl sharply as she took another step closer to him. Shani sighed at her response. "You would be bored quite soon without me around."

"I guess you're right…" he said back as the two began walking towards the commercial district of town without fully knowing. "Well, I'm going to look for more tomorrow."

Lunamaria turned to face him. "Can't you settle for the dorm at the military?"

"What for?" he demanded a good reason from her –nothing forceful of course. "I don't get enough privacy… well, I do but I just don't feel free."

"Come on," she pleaded as she took his hands and shook it to persuade him. "If you stay there, I can always bug you when I can't sleep."

"Do you like bugging people?" inquired the Forbidden pilot, amused.

"Only to friends obviously," replied the magenta haired lady giggling now, "I used to do it more often before I joined ZAFT. Now, I only got Shinn, Vino, some others, and Meyrin that I am close with. Most of the guys always put sleep before their friends… they never know how a girl thinks."

"I have to say you're the first girl that I have met that likes to bug people during their sleep…" Shani was somewhat fascinated at her habits. It wasn't anything harmful after all. Actually, it was a privilege to meet new people for the Rodnia laboratory had cold people without emotions as a majority. In truth, he was one of those people as well but he had Stellar, Crot, and Oruga to be around with. Somehow, their presence was the only thing that kept him sane after all this time. "I suppose you just want to cure your boredom when you couldn't sleep, right?"

"Exactly," she said right on the mark, "You're the first guy to actually say that. Why would I bothering people if I could be sleeping? That is because I couldn't right? And all I want to do is find someone who is kind enough to help me get back to sleep." Shani wished it was that simple, Lunamaria's request was practically a miracle. For eighteen years that he had known himself, Shani knew he loved sleep.

"Easier said than done, Lunamaria-san," Shani told her, "Guys always love sleep. Actually, teens love sleep in general. Well, if there are nights where you really couldn't sleep, find me and we will talk for a bit. Hopefully, we can get off some of the things that are on our chest." To his surprise, Lunamaria appeared to be really content at his words. He was still trying to absorb all this. When he met her yesterday, she hated him to the core. Now, he was speaking to an adorable angel with incredible charm.

"Really?" she inquired with hope. It was exactly like how Meyrin did it, but less innocence.

"Really."

"You're so nice, Shani!" exclaimed Lunamaria with glee. "You're not doing this because I am a girl, are you, Shani?" That statement did a beautiful job at catching the Forbidden pilot off guard. What randomness, as Shani would say.

"Of course not," he told her with no lies in his words, "It's just that… you're my first friend in PLANT… well, Heine would be first but he is more of a comrade than a personal level friend… and I suppose I cherish friends because I don't much of them."

"You better consider me as your friend," she replied with a very mischievous grin and showing her teeth a little, "Or I am going to bite you again." This time around, Shani laughed with his hand covering his mouth. The girl only watched him along with much puzzlement. "What's so funny, Shani?"

"It's funny that you always try to threaten me with that biting thing," he said back turning away slightly to laugh. His standing pose was quite off balance, it seemed like as if he could fall if someone pushed him. "Yeah, as if you will actually plunge your teeth to my flesh more than once." She immediately pouted by puckering her lips and expanding her cheeks. In a whirl, she grabbed him by the shoulders and pinned him by the wall despite they were in public. At that moment, Shani told himself to never challenge her on this subject again for it was when she –like a vampire- aimed for his bandaged neck. Although she was joking, Shani was panicking helplessly. "Okay, okay, you win!"

The girl soon slowly pulled her head back with a friendly victorious sneer on her face. Her hands –to her surprise- were still touching his shoulders. "As if I am going to bite you again, Shani," she teased with a giggle escaping her mouth. "I am not that mean."

"How would I know if you were serious or faking it?" said Shani, smiling at her kindly, "You were quite interested in my blood… at least you look like it." Either she was a great actor or someone that could meet their words, Shani would give her that much credit.

"I am not a monstrosity, Shani-sama," It was pretty evident to anyone that the sama that was added was to tease him further. "I don't lust for blood…" Then, she moved a tad bit closer. "Unless you want me to."

"Speaking of blood," said Shani changing the subject while getting himself out of her hold swiftly. Lunamaria frowned seeing that her fun was already over, he was sure someone who liked to play it safe. "You hungry? It is quite late."

"Are you treating me to dinner?" the magenta haired lady questioned him with a happy tone. Her eyes were alluring; voice was delightful; and that expression on her face promised Shani that they would have a good time if they went together. Just by looking at her made Shani feel happy inside, and it didn't take long to him to compromise with her. As soon as he nodded to agree, Lunamaria was practically dancing with joy. "Thank you so much!"

"It's fine, just think of it as my thanks to accompany me despite that you didn't have to."

"I wanted to do it though!" she protested. "If you're treating me because you think you're obligated to… I would feel guilty…" The moment he found out that the coordinator girl's head was watching the ground with a genuinely sad grimace, Shani knew he had to change his wordings. What to do, what to do, he thought with dread, the last thing that he wanted to do was to make his new friend depressed and unhappy. He had to think of something… but what?

"Then think of it as my token of appreciation, Lunamaria-san," he quickly replaced his previous statement with more elaboration. Lunamaria finally leveled her head to meet his eyes, a sense of uncertainty reached her features when Shani looked at her.

"What kind of appreciation?" she asked him timidly.

"For our friendship, for starting right this time. I think it's something worth to celebrate, don't you think? After having you hate me for so long… although it may have been only for a week, it doesn't feel great to know that someone hates you. In truth, people who don't give a damn about you is actually worse for your existence means nothing to anyone."

"Don't think like that," the cobalt blue eyed coordinator told him encouragingly, "You're a good guy, your existence does mean something to me." The Forbidden pilot was amazed at the words she said, was she for real? As far as he was concerned, he didn't know her for too long, yet she seemed ever so greatly sincere and honest. If he knew better, she wasn't lying.

"Why are you saying this? Do you mean it?" he asked her seriously as his eye scanned hers.

"I know you're a good person, Shani," she replied honestly without falter, "I know you are. With these eyes having to see someone getting serious with a teddy bear, I know I can't judge someone by their looks. You know what I mean?" The green haired natural chuckled hearing that reminder, even after many hours, he could not help but laugh. Amongst every story he had heard in his life, nothing was this bizarre. Just imagining it gave him the chills.

"Thank you, Lunamaria," he said as he sudden took her in a light embrace. "You are kind, too." She felt her heart stopped completely, blood had fully ceased in flowing in her system. Her face turned pink –her cheeks to the very least-, and she had no idea how comfortable, how accepting, how warm it was to be hugged. It had been a long while since that happened, and deep down, she loved this. However, her pride forbade her from enjoying it for too long.

"No need to hug me, Lieutenant," she said with an utmost convincing voice, "It's not like you are that obligated to make me feel better. We just know each other for one day, it's too awkward if you hug me. Besides, it's not like you are my boyfriend." She quickly broke the light embrace –and deep down she desperately wanted it to continue. Miraculously, his touches were like signs of victory that filled her heart, she believed that she defeated any women who wanted him.

What troubled her was that she was feeling about it so strongly, she didn't understand it –not even a small fraction. Her face pained a little seeing Shani so dazed, more or less unaccepted. Regardless of who it was, it would naturally hurt to see someone refuse another –especially when the victim was the one who tried to share their kindness. Lunamaria regretted it so much, and her heart fell once more when she saw him smile at her understandingly. Why was he so kind when he had every right to be disappointed?

"You're right," he said after five seconds of pausing. "I am your superior, not your boyfriend. I shouldn't have acted on my emotions when it might have been an intrusion of your personal space. Lunamaria-san, this won't happen again, I promise."

Why was he apologizing? He didn't do anything wrong! She was the one being unkind to him, she should be asking for forgiveness. Was hugging wrong? Was it an invasion of her rights? Lunamaria wanted to hug him back so desperately, so dreadfully, so much, but she cursed herself beyond imaginable when she dumbly nodded at Shani's statement. Once again, the Forbidden pilot gave her a genuine smile that she did not deserve. Oh, did she ever want to take a knife right now, and stab her heart so it would end the emotional torture instead of living to experience it. Her eternity was only seconds in reality, and by now, Shani was actually a several meters away from her, looking back wondering why his friend had not moved from her spot.

"Luna…"

"What is it?" she asked looking up to meet his face. The jolting action she had told Shani clearly that she was deep in her own thoughts just now. What caused her so lost was unknown to the Forbidden pilot, and it kind of worried him. Shani immediately decided to walk back to her side.

"You okay?" he asked as he took her small, soft hand intentionally to check the temperature of it.

"I'm fine…"

"Your hand is really cold, Lunamaria," he told her with his right eye not leaving her face so he could observe her –not staring at her. When the coordinator girl shivered involuntarily, the ZAFT Lieutenant got the message that she was quite cold. It didn't hit him that the girl was wearing nothing but tight jeans, a tank top, and a thin violet jacket where as compared to him; he had a thicker jacket and another shirt underneath. Also, he finally realized that the time period had shifted into night, it was no doubt the temperatures dropped drastically.

"I'm cold…" she whispered as she cuddled closer to him to gather warmth. "Shani… I am cold…"

"I know," he replied as he took off his jacket to reveal a blue buttoned up shirt underneath. Being a natural extended who had been trained to be a killing machine regardless of the circumstances, withstanding the cold was one of his easiest tasks. "Here, wear this," he said again as he aided the girl to wear his jacket. Once she zipped up the zipper, Shani finally grinned a relieved smirk when she softened up comfortably. Knowing that she was warm at last, they had better get going to a restaurant. As Shani turned around preparing to walk, someone snaked their arm around his right one.

Once he tilted his head to the right, that violet eye of his opened more when he found out it was Lunamaria. For the nth amount of time today, Shani was puzzled by the emotions given by her eyes. She wasn't looking at him purposely, he knew that much, but what he seemed to cloud his thinking was why was she appearing so timid.

"Lunamaria-san?" the Forbidden pilot inquired no louder than a whisper.

"Can you do me a favour?" her voice was so gentle and serene.

"Go ahead."

"Can I lean on you for a little while? I am still a little bit cold…" He immediately nodded with a warm smile reaching his face before Lunamaria finally moved in and closed her eyes as if her burdens were lifted. The duo stayed like that for half a minute before they began to walk. Carefully, the Forbidden pilot placed his right arm around her and rested on the shoulder to show that he was being neutral. Oblivious to him, the girl wanted it to be on her waist. Nonetheless, she was at peace at long last.

Shani was unquestionably warm, and a blush did not leave her cheeks during the entire trip.

**_AN: If you happen to have any questions for me, just ask. If you think that I may take a long time to reply, give me your email. If you even think that despite the email that I take too long, then mail me and complain about my sluggish actions. I need some motivation to keep going at times –or even forceful motivation. Until next week… or weeks… Later!_**


	5. Chaotic Complexities

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_Chapter 5: Chaotic Complexities_

Disclaimer: How many times do I need to say this… I don't own Seed, I don't own nothing! The only exception would be this story plot.

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': thoughts, they are also in italics.

Scenario changes are listed in bolded italic brackets.

Lines are to indicate a flashback that is being said in a scene.

**_AN: Okay, due to the fact that this site had some major, major technical difficulties, it became an evident impossibility for me to update. At the same time, I wasn't really done yet, so I wisely used this time to perfect my work. OR, you could just call me a lazy ass. Fine, I was being lazy, but don't start accusing me of being sloppy, WE ARE ALL like this at times. Enough of my personal experience during the past ten days, let's get on the real deal: This fiction._**

**_Yes, I received the complaints of having too much ShaniLunamaria and not enough of others. Mostly, you readers want ShinnStellar, AthrunCagalli, KiraLacus etc, sure, I can write that. Hopefully this would be good enough, I am not really a KiraLacus writer –since they are like dead zombies in Destiny. Regardless of the situation, I am glad that I got this chapter out. Oh yeah, I've decided that Yzak should go with Shiho, I just need to figure out how she can actually show up. Don't worry, I'll find a way._**

**_Let's do some author-reader one on one answering. I can't believe the most dedicated readers review, I am shocked and gratified._**

**Jasx316:** Does Shinn really act like a zombie? I didn't even realize until you actually told me. Wow… Anyway, I will make some ShinnStellar action, it's not a bad change, and I do need a little bit of practice on it since I never really witnessed Shinn and Stellar in romance that long in Destiny. Thanks for your loyal support.

**Dust-in:** You want mobile suits? If I know what most readers want… all of them may actually stop reading my fiction once mobile suit battles take place. I, for one, am not a sci-fi fanatic, and I can't stand that kind of novels in real life. Maybe I am not very imaginative, or I am just not dedicated. Nevertheless, there will MOSTLY and more than likely to have no Gundams. Yes, yes, I know KiraLacus and ShinnStellar forever… but a little twist in between would just be so much more fascinating.

**Mick:** I thank you for your endless support. Hey, I am not the genius to make up those names, these names just happened to fit well in those chapters. Thanks for reviewing and reading!

**Ruler of the Dark:** You want more of the other pairings? Well, you got it. Hey, you are from Toronto as well? I am too. If you know the school A.Y Jackson Secondary School on Leslie Street and Steeles Ave East, yeah, I go there as a Gr 12 student. VERY BAD place to be despite what kind of reputation you have heard, never ever be a student if you don't have to. Aside from that, please enjoy this chapter like you always have with the others.

**MissKT:** Hey, no need to be so… furious with my review on your story, if I don't do it honestly, I would be lying to myself. Regardless, don't take it too personally, yet do take it seriously. Lunamaria is your favorite female character, right? I am glad that you like where her relationship is going. Good luck with your story too, it's finally getting some recognition while this one still needs some work. Hopefully the love triangle would last long enough (long enough to cover the essentials, short enough to be attractive), I really find it easier writing two girls on a guy than vice versa. Thanks for reviewing! (If I don't review, it doesn't mean I am dead, okay?)

**Hawkhanyou:** Thanks for your info on Shiho, now this story can release a new pairing in the very near future. Thank you so much, my friend!

**Mizue-chan:** Was my humour that funny? Well, a candy that could heal infertility is quite dramatic, and I think I made Yzak into a spoiled brat. Let's hope Shiho could smarten him up with her strict solemnity. Would ShaniLuna rule all? I don't know, yet I love this pairing –they are my favorite characters in Seed, and people think I am crazy for liking a druggie. I will show them ALL! Thank you for your forceful motivation, but next time, use a gun. I happen to be immune to stuff that can't instantly wound my flesh –just as long as you don't kill me with it or there would be no story.

**D.D Designator:** Your short words are always appreciated. Thanks!

**Raider-kun and Rin-chan:** Are you giving me too much credit? Is it that good to deserve such wonderful descriptions? I am very delighted to know that you are loving this fic, it relieves me greatly to see more supporters. Enjoy this latest chapter with high hopes!

**_AN: Enough explanations already, let's get this thing started._**

**_(At Yzak and Crot's apartment)_**

Everyone needed to calm down; that was something Lacus kept telling the gang. She had no idea how fortunate she was when they actually obeyed. They all needed it… that was for certain. Ever since the last event in the exhibition was finished, their day turned from great to something in the lines of misery. Crot was lying in his bed –wounded-; Athrun's body was hurt all over, and Cagalli was massaging the spots that needed to be healed every now and then. Dearka seemed fine but Miriallia knew he was also in pain; Kira also appeared to be okay but in fact he was actually hiding the torment in his arms from everyone –especially Lacus-. Stellar was still sending mail to Shani; Lacus was worried about everyone; and Yzak –miraculously- was the only one in a great mood.

Ever since those prank calls, Tanaka had been missingfrom schoolfor a several days. Each day without that bastard only meant paradise, and the Duel pilot obviously supposed that the teacher chose to be absent due to the fact that he no longer had any face to meet with the other staff. Yzak was honestly not looking forward to the day Tanaka would return.

It had been a several days since Shani left –four to be exact- and the pink haired princess suggested that they should keep in touch with the Forbidden pilot. Normally, Stellar would've instantly volunteered to call him but she was out doing some necessary shopping. Crot argued that Shani would be fine, and calling him would be nothing but a waste of time. Long story short, the Raider pilot did not want to go through the hassles of dialling numbers. In the end, they drew from a hat, and whoever got the one with the black dot must call him.

Athrun's eyes cringed with rage when he saw that detesting black mark on his folded sheet of paper. What angered him more was that everyone appeared so relaxed, relieved, and at peace seeing that they were not given this task. How he envied all of them. He felt cheated, and certainly felt robbed. Not even his beloved Cagalli was going share his pain, and more so, she decided to change the subject and ran to Lacus to start a conversation when the Justice pilot wanted to talk about it.

Seeing that he had no choice, and Stellar was not here, he dreadfully picked up the phone in Shani's old room –which was now Yzak and Crot's little dump, but dumps were significantly cleaner- and dialled the number that matched his cellular phone. Up to this day, Athrun was still bewildered in terms of how this place could've turned into a devilish mess when someone had not lived there for only four short days! It was still fine on the day Shani left for crying out loud. Talk about ridiculous! After four rings, someone finally picked up on the other end.

"Hello?" the voice matched the Forbidden pilot's completely; stoic and lurking. "Lieutenant Andras speaking."

"Lieutenant Andras?" questioned Athrun, shocked to hear this rank, "Wow, that is quite stunning, Shani." Obviously, the natural did not even know who the blasted hell this was. Then again, that voice did sound familiar.

"Who are you anyway?" Shani demanded an identity.

"Cool it," said Athrun casually, "It's just Athrun."

"Zala?" the Forbidden pilot asked to see if this was true. To be blunt, he would not have expected Athrun Zala to call, and especially not for him. "Is it really you?"

"Yes!" shouted the Justice pilot rudely, "Do you think I am lying?" Shani was not expecting that kind of furious outburst, he didn't even do anything –at least he didn't think he did. Why was Athrun so angry then? In his opinion, he always believed that the blue haired coordinator was a calm guy where rationality was his strong attribute, something to be admired. It appeared that all previous beliefs were washed down the drain.

"I'm sorry for pissing you off," replied Shani not very pleased, "Can you please tell me what I actually did to piss you off? In reality, you are the one who called me."

"You didn't do anything!" exclaimed Athrun, shocking the Forbidden pilot for the second time today. "Sorry… I am just not really in a good mood…"

"Then don't look for me to spill out your anger on, look for Yamato or Crot or something. I am quite busy, you know."

"Everyone is not feeling too great actually," replied the Justice pilot sadly, that had stunned Shani quite a bit. It was natural for one person to be not feeling that great, but all at once… that was intriguing.

This was strange enough already, and on impulse, Shani found his chair and sat down. "How come?" questioned the one eyed male curiously, "From what I heard from Stellar… you guys went to chill off at an exhibition the other day, right?" Gathering all the knowledge on the English language –he was an European man- he was utmost certain that the slang words "chill off" meant to relax, not make things worse.

"Don't even get me started on that day…" groaned Athrun filled with exasperation. He sounded very weary, and not to mention weak. Weak and Athrun never fitted in the same sentence, as far as Shani was concerned. "I can't blame Lacus… she was just trying to lighten things up… then it went to complete chaos…"

"Wait," interfered the Forbidden pilot completely lost. "Stellar said that-"

"Oh, screw what she said!" yelled the Justice pilot raising his voice very violently. That silenced the ZAFT Lieutenant in less than an instant. "We _were_ having fun when we separated, we _were_ having a lot of fun without another, but that was_ before_ we reunited."

Did Athrun make sense? Certainly not.

"What?"

"Okay, let me start from the beginning… after we split up after a several hours in the exhibition, we decided to meet up for dinner."

The Forbidden pilot nodded despite no one could see it, and then he turned on his computer. "Did something happen during dinner? What happened? Food fight? Fire? Someone got hurt? Cagalli-san was beating up Dearka or Kira? Someone got blind since a fork or chopstick went into their eye?"

"Just shut up and listen!" roared Athrun in a manner that was identical to Yzak's. "No, it was none of those. We didn't even have dinner, okay? We met up in front of a bumper cars station, and then Kira suggested that a round of bumper cars wouldn't hurt. I was an idiot, yes, me, idiot! I should not have listened, we should've left, but no…" Just like before, Shani did not even understand what Athrun was saying. When the Forbidden pilot advised him to calm down, Athrun took a deep breath before stating it in a serene voice –which had a high chance of breaking. Regardless, it got the message through.

* * *

"Hey!" said Kira happily when he saw the other three groups came back happily. Miriallia was holding a large stuffed bear –Dearka obviously won it for her-; Stellar was carrying a several whale and dolphin keychains as souvenirs from the aquarium; and Cagalli was indulging herself with junkfood. The guys weren't carrying anything but their smiles of delight. As long as the girls were happy, they were satisfied. Humility was a strong trait in a male's blood –most males to the very least. "They're back." 

"Hello, you all," greeted Lacus as bright as ever, "Did you guys have a fun time?"

"A blast!" commented Crot as the first one to answer, "No one was a challenge in the arcades! What a bunch of newbies!" Stellar only grinned gently before finding much fascination in her watery, glittering keychains. She loved the water.

Cagalli was still munching on her fries that were soaked with gravy, but she decided to speak up. "Maybe Yzak should've came along with us," she commented as she moved her food away out of Athrun's reach. The Justice pilot's eyes widened a little, when was Cagalli this spoiled. What really made him smile was when his admirer smiled mischievously at him in victory. She could be so cute. "You don't get one."

Athrun began to beg, "Oh, come on, Cagalli," he pleaded as he reached his hands trying to get the fries, "I paid for those."

The Orb princess decided to play hard-to-get, and tried harder to get her food from his reach by cowering over it. "You gave it to me, it's now all mine! All mine!" Kira groaned audibly to himself as he continued to witness Cagalli's behaviour, when did she become this spoiled? Or was she just addicted to this stuff? It didn't matter which one it was, the bottom line was that she was being mean.

That gave Dearka an idea.

"What are you up to, Dearka Elthman?" questioned Miriallia as she tugged on to his sleeve to catch his attention. The Buster pilot gave her an innocent look, telling her that he had no idea what she was saying. However, Miriallia was not that easily swayed.

"What makes you think I am up to something?" replied Dearka in a form of a question, attempting very hard to be innocent. That would work with almost anyone else, but the former Archangel CIC knew better. She experienced something just now, and that was the sole reason of how she had her large stuffy bear in her arms. Earlier that day, Miriallia told Dearka how much she wanted something to hug and cuddle at night, and a bear would be just so perfect. Like before, the Buster pilot gave her that smile, the smile that meant he had a plan, since his lips never formed that way unless he was up to something. As a result, Dearka managed to convince Miriallia to allow to play those highly-possible rigged games, and due to the fact that he was a coordinator he won her the biggest prize.

If Dearka lost a lot of money during those attempts, she would be guilty for receiving such a gift. However, he didn't, and so she took it without any troubles. Besides, her heart warmed up when she had the chance to see the Buster pilot with a genuine smile on his handsome face. Maybe if he smiled like that more often during the war when she needed it most, that might've turned her days of darkness into some light of hope. Although Lacus was the hope of the war, most of them just wished that Kira cherished it more.

"I know that look of yours," Miriallia told him dryly, "You are planning something now, aren't you? Don't even think of lying to me." When the natural girl gave him a cautious expression, the blond coordinator swallowed slightly, and knowing that nothing could escape from her eyes. In truth, when it came to Dearka, Miriallia kept her caution and alert level up a notch. Why wouldn't she; Dearka did not make the greatest first impression when they first met. In addition, when was a knife –that was aimed for the face- a welcoming action of pleasure?

"I can ensure you that I am planning nothing," lied the Buster pilot still having that grin. He gracefully took a few strides to reach behind Cagalli, not even the Orb princess knew he was back there due to the fact that she was busy trying to get Athrun away from her gold. Just when Cagalli thought her back side was safe, Dearka quickly snatched one saturated fry from her waxed paper container. Miriallia cheered for his success silently so their happiness would only be between them, but she wanted to slap herself when Dearka tapped Cagalli on the shoulder to prove his victory.

If the former Archangel CIC knew the objective of search and steal/retrieve missions and she was the thief, she would not tell the victims that she achieved their hidden treasures. At that moment, Miriallia really doubted if Dearka received high grades in ZAFT, or did he actually earned the title of the red-coat honestly. She recalled Dearka saying that his parents were in the high-councils of PLANT, just like Athrun's, Yzak's, Nicol's, and Lacus'.

"Looking for this?" taunted the Buster pilot, waving the fry in front of Cagalli's visage from behind. As if possessed, the Orb princess shoved all of her food to Athrun in a hush before turning around in a desperate manner to get just that one. Kira grunted seeing Cagalli like a seal trying to balance her beach ball when Dearka moved the fry like a pendulum where as Crot started to laugh when Stellar was now secretly taking more pictures. Athrun did not even know how he should be feeling, he certainly "Ooo, so close!" Dearka commented filled with sarcasm as Cagalli tried to snatch it back.

Needless to say, Cagalli was deadly furious. The glare she flashed was much more than just hostile; it meant death, she lusted for death.

"You have signed your death sentence!" the blond twin screamed, her voice was covered with dangerously poisonous venom. In the Buster's pilot imagination, he could image Cagalli's nails turned into claws, deadly golden orbs transformed into crystal clear merciless pools of vengeance, rage erupted into a powerful aura, a human forcefully mutated into a crazed demon. For very obvious reasons, Dearka had plenty of legitimate excuses to fear for his life. In all honesty, Stellar, Crot, and Lacus were quite stunned with wide eyes, and the blond timid girl even cowered behind the Raider pilot with her eyes sticking out from his shoulders from time to time. Were they valuing their lives? If one had the basic intelligence that most humans should have, then yes.

"Forgive me!"

"Never!" Without any interruptions this time, the Orb princess tackled Dearka by the stomach heavily. Therefore, the blond coordinator was knocked painfully to the ground with the girl ready to do her thrashing. As Cagalli moved her fist above her head so she could sock her victim, someone instantly held her wrist, making her stop for just a moment. A moment was all that person needed, but Cagalli refused to remain at ease for long. Yet, once she saw her intruder, her eyes winced seeing Kira. Kira… that was the second time that happened, oh, how she just so wanted to tear off his arms for such unwanted interference. "Let go of me, little brother… I need to put some sense into Elthman!"

"He was just joking, Cagalli," reasoned the Freedom pilot, trying to persuade her sister from doing anything stupid. "Can't you take a joke like the rest of us?" That only gave Kira a lesson that he should not insult his sister's intelligence and opinions. An insulted Cagalli was a dangerous Cagalli.

"He has been teasing me, taunting me, making fun of me, insulting me, mocking me, and you still side with him, Kira Yamato? This is obvious not an accidental action, Kira! Don't you know deliberation when you see it? What he is doing right now is nothing but intentional emotional torment!" The Orb princess demanded an explanation from him at that instant without delays. Cagalli's uproar was something to be feared, and the rest wisely became cautious –while watching the furious tension increase between the siblings. "If you are a good little brother, you should support your big sister and allow me to avenge my pride, that is what I deserve!"

Talk about capabilities of gaining authority and power.

"Well, fighting does not solve anything," justified the Freedom pilot carefully, and with a cold sweat dripping down his back ever so annoyingly slow. He then managed to dart his eyes to the left and right, trying to look for a possible solution. He grunted worriedly when he found no reasonable possibilities –and Cagalli's patience was wearing considerably thin. "Let's try talking." That only caused his sister to make a deadly death glare. Nearly the entire gang jerked the moment they saw Cagalli's golden pools of hostility.

"I have done enough talking!" she objected fiercely. "You always suggest talking! Well, it's time for some decisive action! Athrun, do you agree with me on this? I want some action!" When she turned her head back to meet Athrun's, her eyes screamed bloody murder when she found Stellar, Crot, and the Justice pilot consuming her fries without her permission. In truth, the container was now empty. Once the Raider pilot noticed that they have been caught, he scratched his head sheepishly with a frightening smile –where he was the one who was afraid.

"I can explain, Cagalli!" Athrun hurriedly said something before more devastating outbursts were made, "You know I am hungry… and I just wanted something to eat… you can understand that much, right?" Just as Cagalli's hands now formed into a twitching fist, it didn't take a genius to figure out how furious she might be. In fact, they didn't want to know –if they valued their life.

However, some of them were beginning to wonder if Cagalli's blood pressure was at normal rate, but they would discuss that issue another time.

"Cagalli," Lacus began, attempting to remain calm, but she found out she was actually faltering, "Let me buy you some more fries if you want some more… It's okay for me to spend a couple of dollars, I really don't mind…" Unfortunately for the peacekeeper, the blond twin was not paying a speck of attention; all Cagalli could think about was her salty, savouring, flavour-full, tasty fries. They would never come back after being consumed, and she didn't even had enough of it, yet it was taken away from her when she could not do anything about it!

_Unfair… why was it so unfair…_

"I want my vengeance…" hissed Cagalli in a dreadful whisper, which did a magnificent job at making Stellar shiver. "Vengeance will be mine… where can I satisfy my vengeance!" When one word was repeated a number of times, it was quite serious.

It was then where the suggestion came out of Kira's mouth that changed the fate of that day. "Hey," announced Kira to get the others involved, "There is a bumper car ride over there! It would be quite fun if we went."

"Kira," said Miriallia somewhat objecting this suggestion, "It's getting kind of late…"

"And I'm hungry…" added Stellar holding her stomach adorably. When it came to cuteness, Stellar definitely equaled the songstress'.

"Come on," said Kira, trying to persuade the others, "It would be fun. One round wouldn't hurt. What do you say, Crot?" He clearly knew that the Raider pilot loved any challenge available, and bumper cars were no exception. As expected, Crot immediately agreed.

"I don't know about this…" commented Athrun hesitantly. "I mean, it's kind of late… and we are all hungry… and I am getting tired of this place already…" However, he was silenced when he saw Cagalli in front of him, the eyes and facial expression that she carried only meant one thing; give in. Athrun was a natural gentleman, and he could never reject a woman's offer –despite that if he knew them or not. If this was the woman he loved –which he had not fully told her yet- what options were left for him to decide on?

Without much further consideration, the Justice pilot reluctantly agreed –clearly, he didn't do it in a graceful emotion.

"I guess one round wouldn't hurt…" said Lacus silently, wondering if Kira's suggestion was a mistake. After finding no possible faults at the moment –key word: moment-, even the pink princess agreed to this proposal. It could be fun after all, right? "Who else wants to go?"

"Fine by me," said Dearka with enthusiasm, "I can take this no problem. It's just a game." Miriallia noticed that look on Cagalli's face when the Freedom pilot offered that submission. Her intuitions took the better of her, she just knew this was a deadly mistake that was worth regretting. With Cagalli searching for her longed, hated vengeance, bumper cars were perfect to release all sorts of hate.

"Since everyone has agreed," said Kira –although most of them felt quite farfetched for compromising to this, "Allow me to pay for everything. Come on, let us go and have endless entertainment before we return to school, okay?" With haste, Kira took Lacus' hand by surprise, and led on their friends to the designated ride without any worries or even hints of concern.

Athrun sighed to himself; he certainly did not like where this was going. It was too smooth, it calmed Cagalli too easily… there must've been a catch! Stellar, on the other hand, did not have much of an intention to care; she would follow Crot and Lacus obediently –unless it was beyond acceptable. Dearka –who was still considerably oblivious- truly believed that this would be fun, when Cagalli had been staring with a gaze matching perfect evil. Did he even realize what he had gotten himself into? This death trap would be his downfall for certain if he didn't smarten up.

Aside from that, the Orb princess adored this. She would have her vengeance, that would teach everyone to stay away from her precious fries. This time, Dearka shall be undone.

* * *

"So," said the Forbidden pilot trying to recall everything, "So why was Cagalli rubbing her hands together the entire time as if she is planning a devious scheme?" 

Athrun was undignified, in other words, outraged. "That doesn't matter! What I am trying to say is that she was out of her mind!"

"And why?" Shani stated urging the Justice pilot to continue.

"Because I was an idiot to steal her fries!"

"I still don't see why Cagalli would be so angry…" commented Shani still quite confused, but he wisely listened until more questioned were needed.

"Well, I don't either. And the story doesn't end there…"

* * *

After buckling the seatbelts on their bumper cart, Kira, Athrun, Dearka, Crot, and Cagalli were very prepared for battle. Being mobile suit pilots, driving such a simple piece of machinery would be a snap. In truth, Miriallia was just doing this for fun, she did not have much of a dislike or disapproval to this. As someone who had neverridden in a bumper car before, Lacus was very excited. Just handling that hard plastic wheel was giving her a new light in life. She could not wait until she pushed the gas pedal with her foot, and more so, her heart was filled with raw anxiety. Lastly, once Stellar was done with her seatbelt, and stationed herself comfortably, her soft, loving eyes, suddenly underwent a transformation for the worst. Unfortunately, no one detected it. 

At the same time, the Raider pilot changed his peaceful nature to an emotion that was identical to the one when he was in the actual mobile suit. Rage consumed him a tad too quickly, and he too was anxious when the power purged his cart, empowering him the access that he needed to fight.

Once the worker allowed the electrical current to reach the ceilings of this 18m by 25m arena, things went absolutely insane where the scenario was no different from hell itself.

Each Gundam pilot went for their respective targets; in all honesty, it was just Crot and Cagalli.

"Dearka Elthman!" shouted the Orb princess at the top of her lungs as she punched the gas at the maximum. The Buster pilot immediately turned her way, and also, he screeched with terror as his violet eyes cast upon Cagalli fuelled with anger. He never knew that bumper cars went that quick, it was abnormal! "Die!"

Not prepared to intercept this collision at any possible means, Dearka fell back to his only option; turn away like mad by pulling the steering wheel with force. Unfortunately for him, he was still rammed heavily at the right, therefore the force caused him to fall back very hastily. Impacts on bumper cars were much more devastating than the Buster pilot first anticipated, and as a result, he coughed with pain.

"What are you doing?" questioned Dearka, ordering her to explain herself, but he had no luck when the girl drove her cart behind his before colliding at full force.

"You will pay for stealing my fries!" she pouted angrily and hit her steering wheel with her small fists. Dearka was just amused.

"So that's how you want it, eh?" questioned the Buster pilot before moving his cart in reverse to strike Cagalli away. That caused Cagalli to scoot a foot away, and just enough room for Dearka to get free. "Fine by me, let this be our battle to the death."

Cagalli would never back down from such a simple challenge. "You're on!" she shouted profoundly, "You will regret approaching me!" It was then the duel between these two Gundam pilot raged on, but not even knowing greater tensions of chaos were just happening at the other side of the arena.

Crot was insane. "Take this! Obliterate!" he screamed out loud as he charged his vehicle towards Athrun and Kira at maximized agility. Hearing upon uproar of that sort, the Justice pilot and the Freedom pilot darted their heads at that direction, and their pupils contained nothing but fright. For a moment, they could've sworn their eyes witnessed Raider Gundam in its frenzied combat maneuvers. However, once they refocused, all they could see was the Raider pilot filled with great endurance.

Being coordinators, Kira and Athrun hurriedly turned their machines to move away as quick as they could. Fortunately for them, Crot missed his target –like plenty of times during the war. He gritted his teeth before taking his cart to maximum burn, and charged straightly for his foes. What the two Gundam pilots did not understand was why did the orange haired natural held this sort of hatred? They had no time to care, the only thing their minds could put on was that the Raider pilot would not allow them to escape. Having no choice whatsoever, Athrun and Kira prepared themselves for combat.

"This is completely reckless!" commented the Justice pilot as he swerved to the left to avoid Crot's ramming vehicle. "Stop it, Crot!"

"To hell with that!" roared the Raider pilot with fierce eyes, "This is for Gamie-chan, Zala!" After that verbal burst, Crot only increased his speed before successfully colliding his cart to Athrun's front bumper. In response to that, the Justice pilot gasped loudly once he felt the severe impact and force. "Teme!"

"Shit!" cursed Athrun as he suffered from a two-pronged collision due to the side-wall. He couldn't keep this up forever, or he would be pummeled to the ground, and Crot would reign supreme –as if he would allow that to happen. Grabbing on to the wheel tightly, Athrun quickly backed his cart out of the wall's reach, and readied himself for the worst. His eyes widened with deadly shock when he could not see the Raider pilot. He moved his head frantically from right to left, but yet Crot was not found.

"I got you!" came a loud cry from behind. How did he get there? There was no time for him to evade, therefore, he deliberately took the hit, but not without some painful curses when he felt his organs move due to the crash.

"Athrun!" Kira shouted with concern for his friend. "Crap…" From what his Japanese violet eyes could gather, his best friend was a sitting duck. He cringed when Athrun was rammed into again from the back, and more so when his front bumper made contact with the wall to increase the damage. He had no other options, he had to help.

"Kira…" Lacus said knowing those eyes of his, she just knew he was going to intervene. "Please…"

"I'll be okay, Lacus," replied the Freedom pilot like many times in the war, "Everything is going to be okay. I promise." In the exact same fashion that Kira left Eternal on their final battle, Lacus' eyes were filled with tears that were threatening to fall. Although this was nothing but a friendly bumper car ride, the survivors did not find it to be any different from the actual war itself –except for Cagalli and Dearka, they seemed to be enjoy it too much to realize the other tensions that were building around them. Lacus should not be so worried, yet she couldn't help herself but to feel that way. Despite Crot was now their good friend, he was quite a different person when it came to competitions.

"Kira…" whispered the songstress to herself one last time as she witnessed her lover moving in to save her previous fiancee, Athrun.

Stellar, without anyone knowing, watched Kira very carefully before her icy eyes made a deep dedication.

"Damn you!" yelled the Justice pilot as he moved in, attempting to hit Crot. Much to his disbelief, the Raider pilot swiftly dodged his assault with ease. Athrun did not believe it, he was losing to Crot in a game of bumper cars! If this were Justice VS Raider, it would not have been that difficult –not like Raider Gundam was an easy opponent though. The extended natural smirked cockily as his opponent was positively losing his grip. Weaknesses meant strength for the opposition; that was something Crot always had learned ever since he was a boy.

"You think you can hit me like that, Zala?" taunted the Raider pilot still smothering his face with that sneer. "You need to do better than that!" At that instant, Crot struck Athrun again before the Justice pilot's cart slid uncontrollably towards the center. Managing to regain control, the blue haired coordinator panted weakly as he leveled his head a higher to make eye contact with Crot. He wanted to yell when he saw his opponent coming in quickly, and in all honesty, Athrun thought his life was over. It was sure nice knowing everyone. Cagalli was splendid; Stellar was wonderful; Shani might be creepy but prepared; Yzak… it was good to see him well; Lacus, he still didn't thank her for her endless emotional support; Dearka, friends forever; Miriallia, he regretted not knowing her too well; Kira… he wish that their friendship would not be cut short so quickly; and Crot, well, he was the murderer.

Closing his eyes, he accepted defeat. However, a miracle happened. "Athrun!" That voice, he knew who it was… Kira!

"What?" Crot yelled in disbelief as he saw the Freedom pilot coming in from the right. Charging at that kind of agility, there was no way to stop. In the end, Kira bashed forcefully into Crot, and the Raider pilot cursed loudly as he collided at the wall without having any force to stop it. No doubt the orange haired natural was furious. In fact, anyone would. "You… how dare you interfere!" he demanded angrily with an accusing finger as he regained his composure.

"Thank you, Kira…" groaned Athrun tiredly, he clearly suffered from numerous hits. Miraculously, it seemed that driving bumper cars were more damaging compared to piloting a mobile suit. None of them knew how this was possible, but this was reality, they had to accept it. "I owe you…"

"Let's take that guy out," Kira stated with dead seriousness as Athrun nodded to agree. Crot narrowed his eyes further when he found that his chances of winning were thinned. Two on one; definitely not a good sign indeed.

Crot certainly found it increasing difficult when he was dealing with Athrun and Kira at the same time. One was an elite pilot that flew the Justice Gundam, and the other one was the perfect coordinator who took control of Freedom Gundam. The odds were clearly against him now, and he cursed bloody murder as Kira managed to ram into him again at the side. To make things more hopeless, Athrun was finally getting the hang to drive this machinery made for the purpose of sheer entertainment. As soon as the confusion was gone, Athrun became quite swift before taking his cart and rushing in at Crot. Once again, an agonized yell seethed out of Crot's lips.

"Crap…" the Raider pilot complained as his body was hurting all over by this time, "I'm a goner…"

"It's over!" yelled Kira coming in rather too quickly, "Surrender!"

"Never!" another voice was heard, but it seemed so distant to Kira and Athrun. It belonged to a woman, a very young, soft lady. Once Kira looked over to his left, he wanted to gasp as he saw Stellar rushing towards him at high speed. He didn't know how these bumper cars were this fast; it was absolutely unreal. Despite that, Kira had to worry about his own safety. Swerving to the right to avoid Stellar, the Freedom pilot hoped it would be enough to dodge Stellar. Unfortunately for him, his luck ran out when the blond natural girl whizzed by him, but not before making a clean crash. It was about time the perfect coordinator experienced the pains from this game, and damn, he didn't like it. "Leave Crot alone!"

Kira was bewildered to the maximum. "Stellar?" he choked not ever believing this, "Why are you…"

"You have no right to intervene," Stellar told him with eyes fixed on him cautiously, "If you want to fight with Crot, you have to come through me." What Kira did not understand was why was everyone so passionate about a game. Then again, he was quite desperate and determined to take down Crot himself. If he complained about others' zeal, he would make himself into a hypocrite. Banishing that thought aside, he gladly accepted Stellar's challenge.

Emitting a fierce battle cry, the natural girl and the perfect coordinator stepped on the accelerator at full force, and not once considered the consequences of their actions. Who knew what would happen the moment the two vehicles collided with another? Miriallia watched with horror where as Lacus just wanted to faint.

* * *

"Wasn't that a bit too extreme, Athrun?" questioned Shani with his right eye filled with amazement. "I mean, this is just a game…" 

"Looks like we all went overboard, didn't we?" Athrun said wanting to laugh at his own stupidity back then. Oh, how he detested bumper cars now, and still he did not know how he would allow Kira to drag him into it.

"So… what happened in the end?" Shani asked as he took out a sandwich and chewed on it.

"4 of us got shot out of our vehicles." Hearing that reply, the Forbidden pilot choked hard.

This was an outrage! "What did you say? Are you trying to get yourselves killed, Zala? Aren't you the one who always promotes the belief of valuing your life a little more? What the hell were you trying to accomplish?" Those words did not make Athrun pleased at all.

"Hey, I was an idiot, okay?" the Justice pilot retorted, "Do you want to hear the story or not?"

"Fine…" Shani said telling him to proceed. "But… how did you guys get knocked off your vehicles?"

"Long story short, Crot and I collided at top speed, and then our safety belts snapped and the force shot us out of our carts. The two of us hit another as we practically flew out, and we were kind of in a mangle. In other words, the two of us were extremely wounded and we still are. Crot is still in bed and he can't move that well." The Forbidden pilot was just stunned; no other words could justify the emotions in his drugged heart.

"What about Stellar?"

"She's fine," said Athrun with evident envy towards the female dancer, "She successfully made Kira fly out of his cart with one heavy crash at his back. Kira was shot out of the arena." Again, Shani just absorbed this like a sponge; words could not even form in his mouth. "Don't tell Lacus this, but Kira's arms are actually very weak right now. He didn't want to worry her so he didn't tell her anything –despite that he crashed outside the arena." No response came on the other end, and Athrun was getting impatient. "Hey, Shani, you there?"

"Yeah… but Stellar is okay, right?"

"She is fine, I said. Well, Cagalli also hit Dearka pretty hard. He was fired out of his vehicle like a cannonball. Miriallia was so scared that she drove to him to see if he was okay since he landed in arena. However, she forgot how to brake and she didn't stop although she already reached Dearka." Shani safely assumed what happened next. "All of us flinched quite badly when all we heard was a breaking sound coming from Dearka when Miriallia's car ran over him." Shani could imagine it quite well actually, and damn hell he didn't want to be in the Buster pilot's shoes. The part that snapped must've been a bone or a part… hopefully it wasn't the crotch. If it was… the Forbidden pilot was certain that Dearka would not be blessed with any kids.

Somehow, Shani could just imagine Dearka saying, "This is even more painful than it looks" before fainting and arising in a realm of unconsciousness.

"Did he go to the hospital?"

"All four of us went, Shani." The blue haired coordinator stated exasperatedly, "The one with the worst results had to be Crot. And if Kira did not suggest this… oh, our day would've been great…"

"Did you guys miss school?"

"Nah, we weren't in casts or wheelchairs," said Athrun guaranteeing that they were more or less fine. "But we have been getting tired quite easily."

"That's understandable…" Hesitance was all the Justice pilot detected. "Well, I would stay and chat, but I got to deal with some more reports and lesson plans. Thanks for calling though, I do appreciate it to know that you guys are okay. Should I chat with you again some time soon?"

"No problem. And… congratulations on your rank as Lieutenant. I forgot to mention that."

"It actually sounds good coming from you," Shani commented in a joking way, "I never would've expected you to call. Anyway, someone is knocking on the door right now, I will call back soon, okay?" Before Athrun could bid a farewell, Shani already hung up. What could he be doing that required his attention this badly? At the same time, Athrun was still shocked at the Lieutenant rank. As far as he remembered, he didn't receive such a high rank when he became a red-coat. It was only after he shot down Strike that his father gave him the status of an elite soldier. Nevertheless, Athrun should be dealing with his own problems instead of worrying about Shani's. Besides, concentrating to be well again was first priority –or a certain golden eyed girl would begin her protesting.

Surprisingly, someone stood in front of him. When he moved his beautiful green eyes upward, he focussed on the legs, then the thighs, the narrow waist, the breasts, and finally the face. He jerked when the mystery person was Cagalli for he shouldn't be staring. Staring at a girl was not considered graceful –at least that was what he was taught ever since he became a soldier.

"Hello…" mumbled the Justice pilot weakly. He knew Cagalli was here to massage his back since he injured it quite bad back at the exhibition.

"You don't want to see me?" Cagalli inquired in a hurting voice. "What's wrong? Did Shani something to you that made you angry? Or am I the problem?"

Athrun shook his head slowly. "No, he didn't say much… he just listened to my ranting."

The Orb princess appeared confused. "What were you ranting about then? Did you tell him about your injury?" Athrun merely nodded to answer. "Does it still hurt, Athrun?"

"Yeah…" he replied with a grunt midway, "What do you think? I was shot out of my bumper car like a crash dummy."

"Sorry," she said as guilt overwhelmed her tone of voice, "I keep thinking that I am responsible for this… I mean, I am the one that caused everyone to be hurt…" Miraculously, a smirk came upon the Justice pilot's face. "Hey, what's so funny."

"It's funny how your zeal could lead Kira to suggest such things…" groaned the Justice pilot as he stood but Cagalli rushed to his side as he flinched a bit. Her face displayed nothing but genuine concern. "You are quite a bad influence on Kira… and possibly to everyone else here." That statement only made Cagalli feel worse about herself, and she even threatened to cry. As soon as Athrun noticed his princess was shivering, he wondered what he actually said to make things worse. Clearly, he was lost.

"I already said that I am sorry…" Cagalli sniveled as she used her tiny fists to pound Athrun's arms. Due to his current state, each blow was considerably damaging. Yet, his pride forbade him to yelp or react in any ungraceful manner –so he held it to himself. "I was feeling so guilty that everyone else was so worried about another, and even some of you guys turned this fun game into a one-on-one deathmatch. I was only playing for fun, I was just angry at that Elthman always making fun of me, but I never wanted you guys to be hurt. I admit this, I admit that I felt like a winner when I made Dearka fly out of his cart… but I didn't find it too funny when Miriallia accidentally ran him over and crushing his bones during the process. I really don't know how he is even alive… but I was so scared when I found you and Crot lying next to each other."

"We were having fun…"

"Don't lie to me, Zala!" ordered Cagalli with tears falling down her beautiful visage, "I feel that it's my fault that all of you are hurt despite that I was only hurting Dearka. Do you even know how damn freaked out I was when I saw Stellar sending Kira out of the arena like an anime character defying all the laws of physics? I mean, this isn't a show, it's real life! I mean, I am stunned that he survived without any harm." She didn't know half of it, thought Athrun, smiling inwardly. "I am only trying to make it up to you, why are you trying to make me feel like more of an idiot? Don't you care about my feelings? I am worried about you, you know!"

"Why do you care about me so much, Cagalli?" asked Athrun, smiling as he guided her to sit on the mattress –since Cagalli and Dearka destroyed Shani's bed. He once again observed this room, and cringed his eyes at the disgust. Maybe this wasn't the ideal spot to remain for too long –but judging from the Strike Rouge pilot's eyes, she didn't mind, not even for a second. Remarkably, the princess chose to sit firmly on his lap, and in reaction, Athrun's face flushed up just slightly. For the second time today, Cagalli shocked Athrun when she rested her head lovingly on his right shoulder. What would the Justice pilot do? Of course he merely allowed it to happen, he didn't have the heart to reject her.

By that time, his arms already encircled her waist to lock her in position. Cagalli's lips formed into a smile within a matter of moments, and to reward him for giving her such affection, she pecked him on the cheek. That was a small technique that she caught from Stellar, and she had been told that it worked quite well with most men. It appeared that Athrun was no exception –but in truth, Athrun was allowing it because he loved the Orb princess.

"Because I know you care about me," she replied back as her hands snaked itself around his neck before she planted more kisses on his cheek. "I know you do."

"If you care," the blue haired coordinator said in a teasing voice deliberately, "Do you mind if you start massaging my back… it still hurts a bit."

"Here?" she questioned as she moved her hand around the room for Athrun to observe this wretched spot. "This place is a dump! Wait, I forgot… I initially wanted to ask you why are you in here? I mean, it's not like you don't know that Yzak and Crot trashed up this room, and this room doesn't even have a bed!"

The Justice pilot chose to grin immediately, she did make quite a strong argument there. "It gives me the privacy that I want."

"Why would you want to have privacy?" the blond haired girl inquired as she held both his hands in hers, giving a several smooth rubs didn't pain her for that made him smile. She loved his smiles –although she had not told him once about it. It didn't quite matter, it wasn't like Athrun was an oblivious person, she was certain that he had a general idea in his mind.

"Because… Forget it, I'll tell you another time. Can you start on my shoulders now, Cagalli? It's really starting to hurt again… thanks so much…"

Not hesitating one little bit, Cagalli moved her soft, gentle, loving hands to his shoulders before giving it a squeeze. Soon enough, she made it into an excellent treatment for the soul.

**_(Meanwhile, at the ZAFT Military Academy)_**

The reason why Shani hung up on Athrun a tad too abruptly before was due to someone knocking on his door. In truth, Shani was actually on duty at that time, but like any typical 18-year-old, he liked to slack off at times. Of course, he wouldn't do it too often or he would receive one major scolding lesson from Heine. However, the Forbidden pilot wondered who would be looking for him at this time. It was only half an hour after class, and people rarely visited him at this hour. Actually, no one ever did.

Once he heard the voice of the person outside, he knew who it was immediately.

"Lieutenant," that must've been Lunamaria. "Can I come in?"

Checking if everything in his office was okay, Shani finally decided to speak after a three second delay. "Yeah, you may." The moment that instruction was given, the magenta haired coordinator happily entered with a smile on her face. When she saw her superior, her cheeks couldn't help but to blush a little. "Hello," said Shani in a surprised tone, "What brings you here, Lunamaria-san?"

"I just want to thank you yesterday…" the coordinator lady spoke trying to hide her burning cheeks, but she was failing in such a wondrous way due to the fact that she was carrying something.

"For what?" the Forbidden pilot inquired with his eyes raised. "I don't recall doing anything… " To his surprise, Lunamaria began giggle at his humility.

"Oh, you're too humble, Shani," she commented, still managing to keep up a gentle grin, "Do you know how happy you made me last night?" Not trying to be perverted or anything, but to Shani, those words really made him believe that he laid with her last night –but in reality, nothing happened between them. "I can't believe that you actually stayed with me when I couldn't sleep last night. We talked for hours. You are a man of your words. Tell me, why did you do it?"

"A promise is a promise, I suppose," he told her as he took a seat and motioning Lunamaria to sit down on the couch with him. "I think I overstepped my boundaries as your superior back there…"

"Well, no, you didn't come to help me as a ZAFT Lieutenant, you came as Shani Andras, my friend." After giving some thought into her words, the green haired natural found her to be quite supportive and considerate. He liked her, he really did –but nothing close to romantic yet. To the very least, he was fond of Lunamaria. When he nodded at her to agree, that made Lunamaria smile another depth. "Oh yeah, I thought you may be quite tired from the day…" she said as she reverted her attention to the object she was carrying with her, "So, I fixed you a cup of hot milk tea with three teaspoonfuls of sugar. Hope you like it."

Shani was deeply gratified. "Oh, thank you so much, Lunamaria-san," he told her as he took the cup, "I bet it would taste great." Lunamaria was watching him hopefully as he placed the cup near his lips, deep down, she was very nervous if Shani would like her little creation. Although it might something as simple as tea, she wanted it to be the best. However, it was then the Forbidden pilot removed the cup from his mouth without having one drop of sweetened tea dripping onto his tongue. Lunamaria wanted to curse but chose to keep quiet.

"Is something wrong, Shani?" the girl questioned him with a tint of concern. He only stared at her with his violet right eye much to Lunamaria's discomfort. When she finally flushed up due to pressure, Shani finally spoke –of course, that was intentional.

"Nothing, actually," he said still watching her amusedly, "But what I want to know is how do you know that I like milk tea with three spoonfuls of sugar?"

Busted.

"Well…" she was stuttering now, Shani loved this –but if he valued his neck, he would keep it to himself. "I don't know… I mean, when you were with Heine yesterday at lunch… remember I walked by saying a hello?" The Lieutenant nodded for he did have that memory somewhere in his head, "You can say I was being curious and saw you put three teaspoons of sugar in your tea. So I guessed you like it in all your other drinks…" She then stole one small glimpse at him, and to her discomfort, he was still observing her with that knowing smirk. She felt defeated with nowhere to run, and to make it worse, she knew he was doing this deliberately to tease her.

"I understand," he stated simply as he finally dropped his act for her sake, "I'll guarantee that your tea would be great." He then initialed a small toast, smiling the entire time.

"Are you teasing me, Shani?" she asked him playfully as she brushed her hand on his gently. When she emitted a small giggle, Shani figured his silent intimidation was no longer working. Therefore, he needed a new plan. He had to admit one thing though; being with Lunamaria was undoubtedly enjoyable. It was sure making his working days here that much more wonderful for it was quite stressful at times. Having a friend like that was no different than having a support to fall back on when necessary.

"Of course not," he said with half insincere sincerity for he was trying to tease her. Needless to say, the coordinator lady wasn't that clueless; she saw through him like glass –at least to a certain extent. He finally took one good sip at it –and Lunamaria even forgot that she made it until he swallowed it down- and in an instant, he smiled. "What did I tell you, it was good." Her eyes soon turned sparkly, and watching him to plead.

"Really?" she questioned Shani, blinking and moving her eyelashes innocently –when there were no signs of innocence detected whatsoever.

"Yes, Lunamaria-san," the Lieutenant stated with no lies in between, "Really. It's wonderful."

She didn't answer him just yet, in fact, she didn't even hear his declarative statement for her mind was too lost in her thinking. The coordinator girl's clear blue eyes just watched Shani's lonely left hand; her cheeks were burning with timidity; those smooth hands of hers just itched after feeling his hand… that soft, firm, strong hand… she was desperate to hold it again. Only the calmness in Shani could heal her warmth, she couldn't wait until she took control of him and place his hands over her overheating flushed cheeks… she would love it, she would love the moment that her wildfires became wild. It was so close… and her hands began to move on their own…

_Am I starting to like him?_

"Lunamaria?" Shani asked a little nervously when she overlapped her hand over his in an action that was considered affectionate. Not knowing what he should actually be doing due to the reason that he was not a dating type of guy, he was forced to grasp the situation despite lacking the knowledge. Needless to say, he was having a hard time attempting to keep himself calm. In addition, he had a very clear idea that this was going beyond the expectations of a soldier, and as a Lieutenant, he should know that better than his students. Although he knew, to the very least, it felt soothing. Lunamaria was just so caring.

However, his logic thinking overpowered his emotions. Not wasting any haste, he tried to pull away, but her grip on him was stronger than he first imagined. In other words, she wasn't releasing him that simply. It was quite evident to anyone that Shani was panicking quite frantically inside. His mind was battling a ferocious combat, and if it gave in, his face would blush –he obviously could not afford such an expression to be shown.

"Shani…" Lunamaria started, at last making eye contact with her current admirer, "Don't let go… please…"

Was she for real, he thought in bewilderment, she could not be serious, could she? "Lunamaria-san… what are you…"

"Please…" she silently commanded, her voice managed to rival a divine angel fallen from the brightest skies of glory, "Just talk with me… like this… without any worries…"

"Lunamaria-san," reasoned the Forbidden pilot with noticeable hurry and disturbance. In truth, he truly liked this moment –somewhat-, yet, he knew the two of them would be in the deepest trouble imaginable if someone caught them. Really, if Heine or Gladys came in this instant, who knew what sort of chaos would erupt. "You have to…" His eye opened up widely when she shamelessly silenced him with her right index finger to his lips, what really made him stunned to the core was that charming smile on her face.

"Don't be so formal with me, Shani," she told him as she leaned in an inch closer, and his fears only worsened. "You can call me Lunamaria-chan if you want… or even Luna-chan… We are friends after all, right?" There was no possible way that he could hold in any longer, and she actually smiled brightly when he blushed. As far as he was concerned, the Forbidden pilot did not blush. No, he refused to blush for that word did not exist in his vocabulary. Not now, not ever! The only exception was Stellar… and now Lunamaria as well? Was he having feelings for her too? No, that just couldn't be.

"I got something I have to deal with!" he exclaimed hurriedly and snatched his hand away quickly. That was a complete insult to his usual stoic attitude, was she breaking his character? "It's an emergency," She did not believe him for one second but he was already at the door. "I will see you later, Lunamaria-chan… I mean, Luna-san… no, Lunamaria-san!" Hher charm shattered his cold shell, and he clearly did not like it one bit.

He was disgusted at himself for being so frail.

With that said, Shani exited his own office before giving a bow, and not ever wanting to look back so soon. The once delighted Lunamaria soon frowned with raw sadness as she covered her face with her hands. Although her pride did not allow her to cry, tears were demanding to fall. She screwed up, she only could suppose that she messed up very severely. What was she thinking just now? This was her Lieutenant! Even so… she couldn't help it, she wanted him to be here so badly… but why? Why was she feeling this way… it was so unexplainable, so very unimaginable…

_Do I really like him?_

Outside, Shani took in a deep breath before giving one back out. In his right eye, it gave off nothing but confusion and grief. What just happened… he really wanted to know. Yet he was deeply afraid to face it. Who knew what he was truly frightened of; was it his job; was it rejection; or was he just afraid of himself? There were too many questioned Shani wanted to ask the world, but much to his discomfort, there were never enough answers.

_Am I having feelings for Lunamaria? No… that can't be… that's not possible… don't I like Stellar?_

**_(Back on Earth in Lacus' apartment) _**

Lacus had been in the kitchen for some time now, Kira knew it very well since he was paying quite a bit of attention to her despite the TV being on. Even though 20 minutes may not be a very long time, the catch was that Lacus wasn't actually cooking in that room, she was writing. In all honesty, if someone would be writing, couldn't that be done on the dining table? Better yet, it could take place in the bedroom. Being the curious man that he was the Freedom pilot got off the couch slowly before walking into the kitchen to greet Lacus. At the same time, he had to pretend everything was fine; Kira really preferred not to have the songstress know about his arms' current condition.

"This will be perfect!" Kira heard Lacus cheer just as he placed one foot into the polished kitchen floor. "Lacus, you are so smart!" The perfect coordinator had his head tilted slightly with confusion, he had to admit that she was quite cute at exclaiming things like that, but more importantly, what was she cheering about?

"Lacus?" questioned the Freedom pilot catching her off guard as his head peaked in.

"Kira!" said Lacus surprised to see him –more or less humiliated to know that Kira saw her acting like a child. "What are you doing here?"

"What were you talking about just now?" he asked while taking a glimpse around this room to see if anything was wrong. Judging from her facial expression, she was hiding something from him. He knew it wasn't anything too drastic, but he still wanted to know. Like mentioned, Kira was considerably curious.

"Me?" Lacus pointed to herself innocently to plant a seed of doubt in her lover's judgment.

"Yes, you," stated Kira quite flatly –not to forget dry. "Who else?"

"Oh," she said sweetly with a very convincing smile along with her words, "I wasn't talking about anything, Kira, honest!" The Freedom pilot merely raised a brow, obviously not persuaded by her actions. The Eternal commander could tell she was being cornered.

"I don't consider 'Oh, Lacus, you're so smart!' nothing," replied Kira in a girly voice as he quoted her line from before, "You know you could tell me anything. What are you writing?" As soon as he took another step forward, the songstress –to Kira's shock- hugged that sheet of paper to her breasts like a mother protecting her babies. What could be so vital that Lacus would risk her life on? Correction, what else was there that was worth protecting with her life on the line? As Kira remembered it, a useless piece of paper could never achieve the same amount of care and thought than anything that Lacus truly treasured. "Lacus?" he asked again as her previous worried face softened. He smiled as soon as she managed to form a grin. Kira just loved her beautiful smiles.

"Well, I suppose I could tell you…" replied the pink haired princess while loosening her hold on that poor piece of paper, "I do need help after all…" Kira was unquestionably puzzled. What in blazes was she talking about? In a natural reaction, the perfect coordinator motioned his hands to tell her that she should elaborate further. "Oh, I'm sorry! Kira, I was just planning a surprise dinner."

The violet eyes that were attached to his face opened up fully, he indeed was stunned to hear it. This surprise dinner certainly did a great job at shocking him; Kira would give her that in spite that the dinner did not even start yet.

"What for?" he asked curiously while his brains continued to search for possibilities. Once again, he failed to achieve anything. "What, is Shani-san coming back without anyone knowing?" Lacus just decided to shake her head.

"It's a dinner to relieve our pain," she explained. She wanted to giggle when the expression Kira showed displayed everything but intelligence. In simpler terms, he didn't get it. "Okay, most of us got hurt a several days ago, right? I just want to have a dinner as a small celebration of healing. I already made a long list of what kind of foods I should make for you all. Miriallia knows about it already, and she would be coming with me to the supermarkets later. What we lack is some manpower, that's where you come in." Kira paled, but not to a degree where Lacus would detect the changes –at least not yet.

In order to keep his weak arms a secret, he had to come up with any lame excuse available. In spite that his excuses might be the most defective pieces of garbage, he had to make a risk. "I don't know, Lacus," he started his own operation of lies, "The last event that you suggested wasn't too successful… Maybe for the sake of Crot, Stellar, Cagalli, Athrun, Yzak, Milly, Dearka, and myself… you shouldn't do this… Not like you're not a good planner or anything, maybe you could do it another time?" Lacus only gave him a pout and a frown.

This wasn't good. He knew failure when he saw it.

"It's not my fault," she argued sweetly, "It was that bumper car ride that you offered, Kira. On the contrary, I was only promoting it with good intentions, where as you suggested it so Cagalli could have her childish vengeance. See what kind of tragedy and misery you have caused everyone? If I should be scolding and yelling to anyone in particular, I would have every right to yell at you. However, like me, you were just trying to help –despite the situation." Ouch, that was quite the direct insult to the Freedom pilot's pride. Who knew Lacus could be so flexible with her vocabulary. She wasn't Sigel Clyne's daughter for nothing, as Athrun would say.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Easy, help us carry some of the stuff back. I know you are strong enough to do that." At this point, Kira swallowed hard. To be honest, the Freedom pilot could barely carry two textbooks. If it weren't for Athrun secretly putting his books in his backpack at times, his cover would've been blown. Now, Lacus wanted him to show her his strength, which he lacked at the moment, and he was in no position to deny. This was Lacus, the most sweet, most beautiful, charming, considerate, understanding, patient, non-bitchy, reliable, optimistic girl that he had ever met. It was an impossibility to refuse her requests.

Oh, how he detested his blasted weakness! And much to his own disbelief, he accepted her offer but nodding like a damned moron! He would have a real hard time trying not to let Lacus figure this out… how did he get himself into this kind of mess?

"Thanks so much, Kira!" she giddied happily as she skipped next to him before planting a loving kiss on his cheek. "This dinner would be the greatest! I would do my best!" The Freedom pilot simply smiled as he kissed her back, but oblivious to Lacus, there was a large amount of hidden dread. When she received that kiss from him, she giggled again before giving another legion of sweet kisses back. In normal circumstances, Kira would've loved this, but now, it only strengthened his bond with the darkest pits of hell.

Indeed he was a goner, and a major scolding session would take place as soon as Lacus would see him not even able to carry a butcher knife properly. The two broke their embrace despite that they wanted it to last, and Lacus bid a goodbye before skipping off like a child to tell Miriallia the good news.

The Freedom pilot's face maintained that smile for as long as he could until Lacus was finally out of sight. Once that happened, Kira really wanted to cry. Not in agony and pain though, it was more or less exasperation. If there was anything that he learned right now, this would be it: If there was something that he couldn't do, don't pretend that he could!

All the odds pointed to one thing; his lies would be revealed before this day was done.

**_(Later on that day)_**

Stellar came back shortly after Lacus broke her small announcement to Kira. As she entered the apartment with a several bags of her personal necessities, she was somewhat taken aback when she saw Cagalli and Athrun on the couch. The Justice pilot was shirtless and lying on his front, and the Orb princess was delightedly rubbing his sore back. They really should be doing that in Cagalli's room, Stellar thought, but she decided to banish it at the back of her mind since she needed to return to her room anyway. Although she didn't have anything specific to say to the two of them, it would be quite rude to simply pass them without saying a word.

Obviously, the blond dancer chose to approach them. She fought hard not to look at Athrun's built body despite herself. "Hello," she said politely. Cagalli and Athrun welcomed her by smiling too.

"You're back already?" asked Athrun kindly.

"How was shopping?" added Cagalli as she massaged Athrun a bit gentler since her concentration was separated.

"It was okay," Stellar told them in a not-too-impressed tone, "Kind of boring going alone."

"Maybe I should've came with you…" suggested Cagalli, "Even if I do kind of despise shopping."

"Oh no," the magenta eyed natural said with utmost understanding, "You should be staying with Athrun-san instead of spending your free time with me, Cagalli-san. Besides, he needs you here." When Stellar gave her an intentional wink, Cagalli immediately blushed. Athrun was tempted to laugh, but with his body in such a weak state, one punch from the princess would easily send him to the depths of hell.

"Stellar!"

"I'm kidding," she joked along with a cute giggle escaping her lips, "Hey, what did you guys do when I was gone? Did something happen?"

"Nothing really happened," answered the Justice pilot on Cagalli's behalf –but the Strike Rouge pilot was more than capable to speak for herself. "But I called Shani earlier to check up on him." Stellar's ears instantly sharpened when the Forbidden pilot's name was called. She suddenly became anxious.

"You called Shani-kun?" Stellar questioned in a noticeable rush. "Why did you call him?"

"Um… to check up on him…"

"Why didn't you tell me that you were calling him? I would have!"

"You weren't here before…" choked the blue haired coordinator dumbly. He really did not know if that argument was reasonable enough. From what he could gather, Stellar was not pleased.

"When did you call him?"

"75 minutes ago…" Before he could finish his sentence, the blond living weapon took her belongings before running into her room in a wild dash. Cagalli and Athrun stared at another for a second, they seriously did not understand what just happened around them. Judging from the passion she gave, Stellar truly liked Shani. Like any admirer, it was only comprehendible to see her wanting to hear his voice again. At the same time, Cagalli really found Shani's voice to be unquestionably creepy.

Stellar did not waste any time. After placing everything that she bought on her desk, Stellar opened her top drawer to find her address book. Due to the fact that she was an organized person –unlike Crot-, it didn't take her long to find the number that reached to Shani's office. She hoped that he would be there, he should be since 75 minutes wasn't too long ago. She nearly memorized his number for she typed the 10 digits with pure swiftness, and as the phone rang, she awaited with excitement.

What would she say to him? Would he be surprised to hear her voice? How would she react when his voice flooded in her ears? Oh, the list could go on for ages, all she desired now was for someone to pick up. In five rings, Stellar heard the phone was answered at last. At first, she really thought that no one was there.

Due to her impatience, she quickly assumed that the receiver was Shani. "Shani, is that you?" she asked in a hopeful voice. However, much to her grief, it wasn't Shani, but this voice did sound somewhat familiar.

"Uh…" the person on the other end was clearly a guy, "Lieutenant Shani isn't here right now."

"Who are you?" Stellar's voice carried much caution immediately, "Where is Shani?"

"I'm one of his students… you seem to know the Lieutenant well, would you mind if I take a message?"

"Did you just say Lieutenant?" the blond natural questioned hopefully. When the mysterious stranger on the other line noticed her minor hostility had vanished, he raised his brow a little bit at her sudden change of behaviour.

"Yes. Shani Andras is our Lieutenant."

"Shani-kun is a Lieutenant!" squealed Stellar, delighted despite that her volume was deafening the other listener, "I can't believe it! I can't believe he didn't tell me! I am so proud of him! I'm so happy!"

"Why does that fact surprise you, miss?" the male coordinator asked humbly. "Sorry if I may be asking something too personal."

"Not at all!" Stellar was too happy to notice, "Because Shani-kun made a promise to me to become the best ZAFT soldier ever! And already he is a Lieutenant… he is such a man of his word!" The person on the other line laughed along with her, Stellar sure was someone who had much potential to revive anyone's spirits.

"Wow, the Lieutenant must be quite lucky to have you supporting him," he said softly, "You're right about the man of his word thing, he actually helped my shooting to achieve better accuracy."

"See, Shani-kun is amazing." Stellar stated as if she proved her thesis statement with no flaws.

"Yeah, I agree, at least he is a whole lot better compared to our old instructor."

"Really?" questioned the natural girl innocently, "How was he like? Was he old and boring?"

"Precisely," declared the mystery coordinator, "No human emotions, no commitment, no soft side, not fun… kind of older but not really old… kind of out of date too…"

"Shani doesn't have much emotions or soft side either…" said Stellar as she recalled things in her memory. To the coordinator boy on the other end, that was striking news. Of course, he merely chose to keep it to himself instead of making a large commotion about it. At this time, he wouldn't want to make a demented fool of himself to a woman in spite that it was on the phone. Miraculously, he found it undeniably comfortable when he spoke to Stellar.

"Indeed?" he asked her curiously, "Lieutenant seems to be quite alive when he teaches… maybe that's why some of the girls really like him." Unknown to him, Stellar turned stiff. Not to forget stunned. However, she decided to ignore it for the time being, yet she would not know how deeply this would affect her in the future.

"Well, I should really get going then… it was nice talking with you… um… I don't really know your name."

"Oh, I'm Shinn Asuka," said the vampiric coordinator on the other end, "One of Lieutenant Shani's students. Don't ask me why I am in his office, but I actually needed to look for him. It was a pleasure talking you. Oh, did I tell you that you sound kind of familiar?"

"No, not at all," replied the Gaia pilot –although the suit was actually in development. "Actually, I don't think you have heard my voice. In fact, your voice is quite familiar to me…" Being a natural extended, her memory capabilities were much higher than a regular natural. She wasn't lying, the moment that Shinn announced his name, Stellar already had memory that she heard that name. The problem was where…

* * *

"I am really sorry for this…" Shinn apologized for Lunamaria in a whisper, "Please don't take it personally, okay?" Before the Forbidden pilot could even respond, Lunamaria make a loud knowing cough. 

"Shinn?" she questioned him immediately, which made the vampuric male stiffen before he caught up with her. "Come here right now! We are leaving!" As they were no longer within Shani's sight range, the Forbidden pilot finally loosened all the pressure within himself and sighed heavily.

That was it. That was where she heard his name. He was that friend of _that_ girl at the shopping centre two weeks ago.

* * *

"You're that guy who looked like a vampire!" exclaimed Stellar suddenly much to Shinn's uneasiness. Why did everyone keep saying that? Shinn truly wanted to curl up and die. "I didn't even know it was you!" 

"Yes…" said Shinn, rolling his eyes as another sigh escaped, "Vampire…"

"Don't be so down, Shinn-kun, you are unique."

"Thanks… I think…" Enthusiasm was not a strong attribute in his voice. Her comments felt like needles stinging into his pride and dignity, and contaminating it with a rare, virulent poison.

"Wait… if you are here… that means that girl that Shani-kun groped is here too, right, Shinn?" Groped… that event didn't pop up in his mind in that instant, but he certainly had a clear visual of something happening. In less than a second, he figured that Stellar was referring to Shani and Lunamaria. He gave a nodding sound to respond. "If she's here… Shani-kun would get killed! That woman said to never see him again… and I am a woman… and I know she would mean it. Tell me, Shinn, is Shani-kun really okay?"

The vampiric coordinator really wanted to laugh, but again, his own sense of image disallowed that kind of actions. "Don't worry, Lunamaria and Lieutenant are getting along very well." That confused Stellar to no end.

"What?"

"They are pretty good friends, miss," answered Shinn not finding a problem at all –how he would learn to regret it later on. "I wouldn't worry."

"I see…" said Stellar a little sadly, but Shinn failed to catch it. If her woman's intuitions were correct, she safely assumed something was going on, and she did not like it. However, she wouldn't protest it in front of Shinn for he was more or less a bystander who observed it all. Just thinking that another woman trying to get Shani's attention irritated her, but her gentle nature won over instead of crying in agony. Was Stellar jealous? At this point… quite. "Anyway, Shinn, can you tell Shani-kun that Stellar called him? Can you do that favour for me to the very least?" Once hearing her name, Shinn's dark red eyes opened up widely.

"You're Stellar?"

"Why, yes."

"It is such a pleasure to be talking to you. Do you know that Lieutenant talks a lot about you when we have lunch with him? He says you are one of the kindest person he knows."

"Really?" Stellar asked with eyes gleaming hopefully.

"Really. I wouldn't lie. Hey, he was right, you are very kind." Stellar didn't care if Shinn was flattering her, or attempting to flirt, or was he stating it sincerely, all that mattered right now was his words sounded unquestionably kind. In addition, she knew Shani did not forget her, that alone was sufficient enough to brighten her day.

"Thank you, Shinn." Stellar said back sweetly.

"It was a pleasure. Sorry, Stellar, I am actually late for my shift… I lost track of time. It was great to have talked to you."

"You too." It was her human personality to be so caring.

"I'll give him that message, Stellar. I promise."

"Thank you so much," she said gratefully, "Goodbye, Shinn." After that, she heard the receiver making a click. Shinn must've been in quite a hurry. She felt somewhat guilty for taking away his time, yet she smiled when she noticed that was one of the most pleasant conversations she had in a long while. People had been quite busy these days, and Crot was not the most enlightened person to speak with. In fact, the Raider pilot was not a fool, it was just that he was… not the most sensitive person compared to Shani.

The Gaia pilot fell back onto her bed as she began staring at the ceiling with delightful eyes along with an angelic smile on her face. She was so happy that Shani spoke such great things about her, and she could not wait until she could see him again. Maybe the next time she called, she would hear his voice instead of Shinn's –not like Shinn wasn't someone she disliked. In all honesty, Stellar detected that he was lonely and needed someone to care for. She couldn't stand it when someone was in those shoes for she went through it painfully last year. Nonetheless, she brushed those thoughts out of her mind for a moment before closing her eyes hoping to sleep.

Even with her mind clear, someone continued to float in her mind.

All her head could imagine was Shani, yet at the deep depths of her sub-consciousness, the thought of Lunamaria getting along and having her being all friendly with her admirer nagged Stellar relentlessly.

**_AN: If that is not enough plot, character development, and fluff for you, I really don't know what else I can do. Shiho should be here next chapter, and other sorts of crazy, random conflicts would erupt very soon. Is it me or do I have a liking on fries? Who knows, just as long as the story works, I guess. Thank you all for reviewing, and thank you so much for giving me the motivation that I desperately need. Sadly to say, whips don't threaten me enough, I don't even know that my life is at a stage of ending until a nozzle is pointed at my head –or at some forbidden areas where one shot would be sufficient to finish me._**

**_Regardless, I hope to make the next chapter by next week or so. Thank you once again! I just love ShaniLuna… such an impossible pair._**


	6. Atrocious Stages

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_Chapter 6: Atrocious Stages_

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed. Not now, not ever. I do, however, own this entire new storyline. I AM VICTORIOUS! Thank you all for your support!

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts and they could also be in italics.

Scene changes are listed in bolded italic brackets. Those line dividers… I am sure you know what that means also.

**_AN: Okay, nearly a month of no update. Yeah, I am kinda slow, and inspiration really didn't hit me until I watched a series of different animes. More or less, they are the perverted ones with the fanservice because I needed some fluff and conflict. The rest, well, you can say they are stuff that I experienced or heard in real life. Anyhow, I am back with an update and I am quite stunned at the results so far. Wow… I thought this fic was like… garbage… but looks like your support is making me continue. Despite me being a guy, it sure feels good to be appreciated._**

**_Just a reminder, there are no AthrunCagalli fluff this chapter… however, plenty of KiraLacus. Also, this chapter… you can say it can lead to a lot more fluff later on. So, bare with me!_**

**_Now, many of you left questions, and I am more than glad to answer them! Even if you didn't ask me anything, I would like to have a one on one session with you –please refrain from imagining anything perverted, I am not that kind of person, okay? We're cool? Great._**

**_MissKT:_** You sounded furious, yeah, but what can we do? As much as I hate to say it, we are empowered by rage, and that itself can take over all of our rationality in less than a second. I read your fic, and I sort of got psychological and philosophical. Am I doing that great? I actually don't know, but I can proudly say that all my work is skillful BS. I like this LunaShaniStellar triangle, although this is more focused on only Luna and Shani at the moment, be prepared when Stellar enters their world. Thanks for reviewing!

**_Dust-In:_** Don't worry, I am not agitated in any possible way when you suggested the Gundam thing, I suppose that you didn't know what type of author I am. However, the pairing thing that you frequently suggest… yeah, that bugs me. Your suggestions, thanks for stating it, now I have some options to fall back on. As for Shiho… I will simply improvise as I go along. I will assume how she is like, but at the same time, based on her appearance and standing posture, I can tell she is one solemn lady.

Also, I do have a Seed Destiny model, I bought Chaos Gundam 1/100 scale last month. All I need to do is to outline and paint part of the Beam Rifle and the missile pods and I am done. I don't really like the original Seed models, all I like are Forbidden and Raider but they are in 1/144 scales. The next one I want to buy is Abyss Gundam 1/100 scale.

**_Asga:_** Hey, glad that you like my fluff, I worked long on it. Thanks for reviewing!

**_Jasx316:_** I think looking for you on MSN is even easier for me to answer you. Don't get offended, okay?

**_Forbidden:_** He brushed her off, what can he do? Hey, Lunamaria is one persistent girl, do you seriously think that she would let him go because he says so? Of course not.

**_Mick:_** I don't prefer to email people about my story unless you are my beta or my editor. Since you are none of those unfortunately, I wouldn't use my time like that when I can simply post it up directly. I will discuss my fic, however, if you add me on MSN. I am really glad that you like my fluff and romance, or the long skillful BS that I have altogether. It's great to know that your effort made some sort of impact regardless of how small it is at times. See, I am BSing right now already, isn't it great? Yeah, thanks for your endless support!

**_Mizue-chan:_** Your words always make up my day, and I am sure you will be delighted if there is something that could cure infertility. I really wouldn't want to see Stellar hurt, but also, where is the drama if everyone is a big happy family? Don't think of this as evil, but you and I both know it's much more fascinating that way if a triangle exists. Also, I am no KiraLacus fan, I just never liked them that much, and yeah, they are zombies in Destiny. Thank you so much for your endless praise, it makes me feel better after making such a complex scenery. Hey, because of your words, I made another one… hope you enjoy the rest of this chapter!

**_WingBlades:_** Loved your praising, hope you will review again! Thanks!

**_Ruler of the Dark:_** Happy to hear that you thought my chapter was funny, I thought it was only dramatic. Nonetheless, about your question… I think I wrote that he was hit in the spine but at the same time, you can say that she crushed his balls indirectly during the process. Regardless of where he gets hit, you and I both know it's going to hurt. I have been hit by a car once traveling at 20km per hour, and it already hurts like hell. It's not the hit that hurt a lot (due to the speed) but it's rather the internal damage. That can kill. Don't worry, I am fine.

**_Raider-kun:_** ShaniLuna will rule one day? I would say it will rule in this story since ShaniLuna can never exist. Like, not even a small percentage. However, I will make it live here!

**_D.D Designator:_** Your continuous support is very much appreciated, my friend! Please, enjoy this chapter like you always did in the past.

**_Angels Tear:_** Can you tell me why don't you like Shiho? Is there something about her character that you don't like? Thanks for your review nonetheless, appreciated it a lot.

**_Faith2000:_** Want to know when chapter 6 is coming out? Well, if you are reading this message, the chapter is just further down here. Sorry for not updating sooner, I was working on my Naruto fanfic last month. Thank you so much for your message, it really made my day.

**_AN: If you don't have 3rd ending theme of BLEACH and you want it, tell me and give me your mail. It's a really good song that you should listen to if you want inspiration. Well, with the visual, it helps even more._**

This was not good. No, not good would only be an understatement. Actually, this was terrible. In all honesty, Dearka did not mind at all that Miriallia ran over him with her bumper car despite that he should. Besides, it was only an accident . In reality, it was quite a big accident where it jeopardized his chances of having children. It had a bright side to it since the former Archangel CIC forfeited a lot of her time to see him better. He won some, and he lost a lot. Not a bad deal when the Buster pilot thought about the real issues in the wretched reality. In most scenarios, he gained nothing and lost all.

Kind of sadistic but that was life.

Having Miriallia around was great for it kept him sane –and company was much preferred than misery- but what Miriallia drove him insane was what she gave him.

A model -and a ship model to be exact. Did she have any idea how bad he sucked at these kinds of stuff? Of course she did not know, he never told her this major weakness about himself. Insignificant things never truly mattered to Dearka, he would share it whenever the time was right. Nonetheless, it was the heart that counted, and Dearka happily attempted to build it for the sake of spending time on something rather than lying in bed. It had been four days ever since he was hurt, and things were heading towards the road of recovery, but at the same time his anger control was venturing down the path of disaster.

"This doesn't work!" shouted Dearka like a madman as Miriallia was just outside his room talking to Lacus. Both girls made a small jump with an eep escaping their lips hearing that yell. Lacus looked shocked as Miriallia sighed to herself. "Why must I fail at everything I do! Why must it be so hard! Damn it!" Meanwhile, he was smashing the poor piece of eloquent plastic. "Damn you!"

His outbursts and ranting were heard from the outside.

"So…" said Crot as he took a sip of water from his glass before taking one step into the connected backyard since they all lived on the first floor. In other words, they would be able to see another if they walked out to their respective yards. "How's Elthman doing?"

"What is Dearka-san doing, Crot-sempai?" asked the timid Stellar in her shorts and T-shirt while carrying a burger in her hand before chewing it with utmost satisfaction.

"He's been acting like an idiot for a several days…" replied Yzak in a grunt while putting a Halls Frost Breakers in his mouth, the candy that could cure infertility. "Who knows what's with him."

"Dearka-san seems to be quite happy though…" said the Gaia pilot with a small blush.

"He has been an idiot, Stellar-chan," commented the Duel pilot with that smirk on his face. That chan that he added was obviously sarcasm, and it didn't take that much wit for the Gaia pilot to detect it. "That was ever since that Miriallia gave him a ship model… man, I wonder how she would flip when she figures out Dearka was no models man. Her face would be priceless."

"I got a feeling she already knows," said the Raider pilot, taking a glimpse over at Dearka's window.

"Crap… then I missed out on the fun."

"Looks like you did."

"So, how is that bastard doing?" asked Yzak, a little bit impatient. Crot merely smiled as Stellar crept beside him to observe. Stellar put her left hand in front of her mouth when she saw an enraged beast within. The orange haired natural knew her kind nature would resolve to such innocent reactions, and in all honesty, he wanted to laugh at the fact that Dearka just rammed himself towards the door in a wild tackle. Men cursed when they were enraged, and beasts rammed like jerks. Despite his efforts, the model piece was still in his hand. Yet after the collision, the Buster pilot still chose to whip it at the wall. After numerous of cursing and panting, Dearka at long last fell on his bed completely exhausted.

Some might believe he was killed by stamina drainage –which was a pretty pathetic way to die do to the fact he was not at war.

"I would say he's doing just fine," answered Crot, grinning amusedly at Yzak and Stellar convincingly. "For the time being to the least…" The blond dancer, however, had her doubts but she kept silent to the time being. She paid more attention to her cellular phone that was on top of the patio. She wondered why Shani had not called her back yet.

Maybe he had sent her a mail without her knowing.

* * *

"What's going on, Miriallia-san?" asked Lacus politely, pointing to Dearka's door when he was yelling earlier. 

"Dearka must be making that ship model that I gave him…" the brunette girl replied in a drained voice.

"Why?"

"Because I know he couldn't really move on the first day, so I had to give him something to pass time, and I was feeling guilty for hurting him so badly. Long story short, I gave him for the sake of getting better."

"Then why is he yelling?"

"Judging by the sounds of this… he must be at stage 4…"

"Stage what?"

For very clear reasons, Miriallia's words did not seem to be making any sense.

"Dearka goes through a several stages when making a model," elaborated Miriallia like an expert at psychology or any other academic field. If Lacus had more imagination, she would be able to picture her brunette natural friend in a college professor outfit along with that 1 meter pointing stick that they use. "Firstly, he looks for a part that is crucial among all the other parts that he needs to break off but he fails to find it. In reaction to this, he becomes agitated. Secondly (due to his irrational frustration) subject is more than likely to knock over the glue and spills it on his hands, self, or all over the desk and floor. Thirdly, after minutes of retaliations and expressions of hate due to the glue spill, subject makes a hopeless mess where everything seems impossible. And at stage 4 -which was just now- he would begin to freak out with very audible emotions."

Lacus was just amazed. What made her eyebrows involuntarily (or intentionally) twitched was the use of the word "subject".

"Is there more?" questioned the songstress, suggesting her friend to continue.

"There is more…" said Miriallia, and suddenly a loud collision sound could be heard from the other side of the door.

"What was that?"

"That's stage 5," stated Miriallia back into her expert character, "Subject fails to use logic in his thinking and results to violence where he projects the object to a wall, door, or anything available. Miraculously, the crash of it makes the hopeless piece of junk into a useful model part. In other words, full completion. That also leads to our final stage."

"And that is…"

"Repeat the entire process… provided if he has the strength to continue the constant and meaningless retaliation."

Lacus suddenly came to a conclusion, but her face displayed… ridicule and partially disgust. In addition, the songstress could not even start to describe the feeling inside her stomach when Miriallia seemed to be enjoying this entire lecturing about the Buster pilot's torment. "Dearka doesn't like to make models, does he?"

"Looks like he doesn't."

"Why giving it to him then?"

"I didn't know, but I know that he needs something to pass time since he didn't buy a laptop like Shani-san did. Besides, it was completely my fault that he is like this. Oh yeah, Lacus, why are you looking for me?"

Miriallia had no clue how glad Lacus was when she got them back on topic.

"I got Kira to help us to carry some of the groceries that we need to buy today," said Lacus happily. "He is so supportive, isn't he?"

"You told him, too?" asked Miriallia, somewhat surprised, "If you tell too many of them, it really wouldn't be a surprise anymore."

"Don't worry," said Lacus in a relaxed voice, "I only said this to Kira. Besides, he was suspecting that I was hiding something. I don't want to do that. Think about it, if he cares about what I do… then he cares for me." Miriallia had to admire her optimism at times, Lacus can be just that cheerful despite any circumstances.

"I am sure he does, Lacus," said Miriallia honestly, "Do you think I should tell Dearka where I am going? I mean, it would be kind of rude to just disappear on him for a several hours and then not even be able to talk to him later on. Oh yeah, where should we make this dinner?" This problem did not even strike the pink haired coordinator until now. Crot and Yzak were in their apartment so their place was out of the question; Cagalli, Athrun, and Stellar were in their apartment at this moment; and Dearka was here. What to do, what to do.

The easiest way to isolate people was to put Dearka somewhere else. Kira would just have to make an excuse to occupy the entire apartment with Lacus and Miriallia but what sort of reason would justify his actions? Sure, the Freedom pilot could always suggest that he was planning to make love to Lacus and needed all the privacy available, but he wouldn't go that far just for the sake of one dinner.

Be more specific, Kira would expect plenty of very suspecting looks later on if he went with the making love idea. Somehow, he imagined Crot asking him how was the entire experience was, but then Athrun and Cagalli would consider not ever having to know him as a friend or brother. For the betterment of his pride, dignity, image, social status, impression, and much more,dropping this idea would be the wisest choice.

Occupying the kitchen was not the same as taking control of the entire apartment, and as far as they were concerned, they did not have much right to simply isolate anyone away from their place to stay.

The second way was to tell Dearka the game plan, so no one would be able to enter. Seeing that he would be dedicating his time to his model, Miriallia didn't mind telling him about this dinner. The Buster pilot was delighted to see that he could help make things go smoother, and he ensured that no one would be occupying this apartment. Since Athrun was the only one unaware of this –but he was spending all the time available with his precious Cagalli-chan- Dearka did not need to worry about Zala.

In addition to all of this compromising and agreement, Miriallia was grateful to see that Dearka would help. Did she misjudge him? From these past two weeks that she had known him, Dearka was quite splendid to be around with. After smiling one sweet smile at him –which made the blond coordinator blush a bit- Miriallia told Lacus the good news. In reaction, Lacus explained all this to Kira, and much to Kira's disbelief, he nodded like a moron once again.

Like last time, the songstress tiptoed a little bit before finding the cheek that she wanted to kiss. At that precise moment her lips made a soft contact with his face, the Freedom pilot wanted to melt, but his pride forbade him to do so for two reasons. One, he should not falter. Two, he believed that he messed up all too frequently in one day. When she told him that they would leave in the next hour, Kira guaranteed that it would be the toughest hour in his life; longer lasting than dealing with Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider; and definitely more lingering than the battle with Providence.

How did he get himself to become this pathetic? He really did not know –not like he really wanted to though.

**_(Meanwhile, at PLANT, at ZAFT headquarters)_**

"Commander Heine," called a woman's voice outside of the Gouf Ignited pilot's office, "Mind if I come in?" Once Heine heard the familiar voice, he lowered his cup of coffee –Shani preferred tea- and gave a small cough.

"You may," he replied half-quickly before the automatic slide door opened. The person behind it was a solemn girl with long dark hair. Despite her serious visage, she was very gorgeous. "What can I do for you, Hahnenfuss-san?"

"Well," she began with a small brush to put her hair back slightly, "Looks like PLANT's high councils finally decided, Heine-chan."

"You do know that you shouldn't be using that name in this facility, right?"

"We are alone here, I don't see any other soldiers around here. Besides, you are a red-coat, and so am I. So I don't see a problem with it."

"Correction, Hahnenfuss-san," said Heine with his index finger pointing upward slightly, "I am a FAITH member."

"Big deal," she teased as she sat on his desk with her back facing him, "I ain't too bad myself, am I?"

"Of course not, Hahnenfuss-san," replied Heine casually, "However, what brings you here today? What was this decision that they have made?"

"Direct as usual, eh?" the female red-coat questioned amusedly, "Well, I would have to tell you that I will be shipped to earth. Sad, isn't it?"

"As a prisoner?" he questioned back having no significant shock whatsoever. If the girl had anything to throw at him, she would've thrown it. However, the closest thing within her reach would be his mug, and if that struck his head Heine might die. In the end, shekept her cool.

"No, dimwit, I am going there willingly!" No matter how she tried, the girlcould not keep back her insults.

"Is that so?" the Faith member inquired, opening his eyes to reveal his green eyes, "If that's the case, Hahnenfuss-san, why use the word 'ship'?" She knew he was teasing him, and Heine was always so sharp with these things. To make it worse, she heard from the Faith member that there was a new Lieutenant-who was also a sharptongue much to her disbelief. Although she had not met him yet –or she thought she hadn't- she was certain that she would not be able to beat him in most verbal arguments. She quickly banished all thoughts and huffed before turning away from her friend.

"Everyone makes mistakes, you know!" the female red-coat announced, trying to justify herself in the best of her ability. Moreover, despite her efforts, the embarrassed blush on her cheeks did not serve her well. She knew she was defeated already before the war even began. "Hey, do you want to hear the rest of the story or what?"

"What else is there to hear?" Heine said back in a joking way, "I thought the fact that you are leaving for earth was all I needed to know." Once again, she was caught off guard. The black haired coordinator was just so disgusted at herself for faltering this badly. What was more important was that she was a red-coat, not some nobody soldier who could not hold a gun to save themselves in battle. She kept telling herself that she was a good soldier -a very good soldier.

"Teme! Why do you always have to be so mean?" the girl protested adorably in Heine's eyes. In reality, she was howling with anger –partially.

"Sorry, Hahnenfuss-san," the male coordinator apologized with a kind smile, "You do know being a soldier could be quite boring at times. You know, paperwork and regulations. Anyway, back on topic -don't you think it's kind of soon for Coordinators to go to earth like this? I mean, despite the high council's orders it is still kind of precarious for people like us to get there… You do know the prejudices some people still have, right?"

"I know that perfectly well," the girl told him honestly and showing him that she was prepared for anything. Heine -on the other hand- was not too convinced.

"When are you leaving though?"

"Tomorrow afternoon."

"That soon?" Heine inquired, a little shocked at the date. "…I would miss you then."

"Thanks for your concern, Heine-chan. I'll miss you, too," she said back in a friendly voice, "But I have heard that the new Lieutenant we have is a Natural, right? Then if I went to earth, that is no different -especially when that Lieutenant was pilot of the Forbidden Gundam." Heine had more to say though. Moreover, he was surprised that she knew Shani was a Gundam pilot.

"However, this is PLANT and that is earth. Both places have different feelings and expectations. Just because PLANT accepts Naturals... that doesn't mean the opposition feels the same way. What if you get killed down there? I am worried about you, you know that."

"Thank you, Heine. But it's an order that I can't refuse." That sure caught Heine's attention.

"What's so special about this order that you must accept, Hahnenfuss-san?"

"This is more of a personal mission, Heine-chan," she told him as she leaped off the desk and snatched a piece of mint candy that was in a small basket on the coffee table. The girl then plopped down on the seat lazily as she cast her dark eyes towards the Faith member, a grin never left her face. "Ezaria Jule told me to go down to earth by myself, it's a favour that I can't reject despite that I am on a mission."

"Going down there is your mission?" Heine questioned her oddly as she nodded back in response. "What is so important though?" The female red-coat smiled gently as she took strides to reach beside him. Heine jolted slightly at her incredible agility and swiftness as she whispered everything in his ear.

Once Heine heard her mission fully, his eyes opened up in realization. With that justification, the Faith member could only understand why she was that willing to visit that blue and natural world.

**_(Later on at Eternal Dragon Supermarket)_**

As expected, Lacus and Miriallia were picking stuff off the shelf like the easiest thing in the world. No trouble, no hindrance. Actually, how hard was it to take things off the shelf? When the Freedom pilot –who was pushing the shopping cart at the back with the girls at the front- gave more of a deeper thought, he had to admit it was quite easy. However, Lacus and Miriallia weren't just picking things at random, they had a plan. What amazed Kira was how quick their hands and eyes were for they surpassed any standards of a coordinator –or even expectations as a human being.

He knew Miriallia loved to shop when they were younger, and she would always had bugged Tolle to accompany her whenever possible. Kira actually missed having Tolle around, and he was certain that Miriallia was keeping all that agony of losing him to herself. Up to this day, Kira still felt that it was his weakness that caused Tolle to die, but at the same time, Athrun would have the same feelings for Nicol, the Blitz Gundam pilot. In wars, when you win, someone else lost something. Also, it was a vicious cycle.

Kira then took a glimpse at his current shopping cart for it was feeling a little heavier as each second passed by, and damn his eyes widened seeing the amount of merchandises the ladies have picked during this short amount of time. To the very least, he didn't think it was that long. Cheese; soda; juice; spaghetti; cans tomato sauce; lettuces; cucumbers; tomatoes; fruits; canned fruits; frozen veggies; an entire chicken; ice-cream; some chocolates for a snack; and some other things that Kira did not even notice –since they were trapped in the bottom. Whatever these things were, they seemed to be weighty –and he didn't even like it one bit since he would be the one to carry it later on. To the minimum, some of it would be his responsibility.

"How much more, Lacus?" asked Kira -hopefully he didn't sound like he was whining. "We have been here for over 30 minutes…" When the Freedom pilot shopped for groceries, 30 minutes was the absolute longest, and now it seemed like these ladies were prolonging his trip of boredom.

"Not yet, Kira," said Miriallia, "Fixing a dinner for nine is tough work. And you know better than anyone that Lacus wants to make it perfect."

"Perfect," corrected Kira, "It doesn't need to be fancy though."

"That's a great idea, Kira!" Lacus said vehemently, "We could dress up in royal clothing and-"

"We don't have any of those," stated the perfect coordinator rather dryly, "Isn't doing whatever within your abilities enough?" He really wanted to take those words back for he was now being a hypocrite. If Lacus or Miriallia figured out the conditions of his arms, they would scold him for being reckless. Who was he to tell anyone what to do? He had no power whatsoever.

"Well, we can always make it better," answered Lacus happily before taking another gallon of ice-cream into the shopping cart. "I love Cookies and Cream!"

"Isn't that a bit much, Lacus?" the Freedom pilot questioned as he looked at the gallon of ice cream. Kira was seriously not someone who preferred sweets. "This is the second container…"

"It's not for dessert, Kira," Lacus told him as she snatched it away from his grasp, "I will put this in the girl's dorm so the others can eat it whenever they want to." That made the Freedom pilot kind of jealous. From what he could gather from the beautiful yet teasing pink haired princess' face, she had no intention to share it with him purposely. Although Kira had no love for sweets it did kind of challenge his pride when someone taunted him.

Miriallia decided to join in with the fun. "I love cookies and cream, too!" the natural girl said with glee, "How did you know that was my favourite flavour, Lacus?" The coordinator lady appeared to be stunned –in a friendly, polite way of course. At this stage of the game, Kira was outnumbered.

"We should have this when we have slumber parties!" said Lacus, "Ice-cream and parties are just so wonderful!"

Yes, very wonderful indeed, Kira thought with utmost sarcasm and dread. For obvious reasons, his face remained the same.

"We can discuss about slumber parties later on, Lacus," said Kira, "Why don't we just get this stuff home?" Despite his suggestion, the Freedom pilot was constantly yelling at himself for bringing that point up. Was he trying to get himself to deeper trouble? Why was he being an idiot at a time like this?

"You know what," said Lacus happily, still neglectful that Kira was trying to hide something from her, "We have been here for quite a while already. Besides, it looks like you don't really like grocery shopping, Kira, right?" If she was that sharp to notice that, why didn't shefigure out the other fact? Maybe it was since Kira showed his endless protests a tad bit too often, regardless of what he did, Kira did not prefer to be so distinct. "Do you think we should get going?"

"Yeah, it is getting a little late," said Miriallia, agreeing with her good friend's idea. "I don't want to see Dearka die because of a stupid piece of plastic."

Lacus thought of a good tease before taking a stride towards the former Archangel CIC. "Ooo, since when did you pay that much attention to Dearka? He would be so delighted to know that you care."

"I am doing it due to obligation, Lacus," justified Miriallia straightly, "I hurt him, I have to make sure he gets better or I will feel guilty for the rest of my life. Don't think that we have anything between us."

"I am sure you don't…" Kira said with a smile and rolling his eyes. He wanted to laugh, but as soon as he saw that he was already by the line up with the cashier, his heart sank with dread. The Freedom pilot watched closely as the girls smoothly placed the items on the sliding belt, he was fascinated at how skilled the cashier was to scan their merchandises. She sure looked like someone who had done this all her life, Kira didn't know if that was something to be proud of.

Screw pondering about other people, he had to pray for his own safety!

"That would be 78 hundred yen please," said the young cashier lady who looked no older than twenty with a sweet smile on her face. Lacus smiled back as her hands reached into her purse before taking out a ten thousand yen bill. The cashier happily took it and scanned it underneath a neon light machine, that was to see if the money was counterfeit or not. After seeing that it wasn't, the young worker gave back Lacus' change as she activated the second sliding belt to send all the food to the far end. Being Lacus, she thanked the worker before dragging Kira to pack up the stuff.

Packing the stuff into shopping bags was not much of a challenge, but carrying them back home would be. It took Kira –along with the girls- two minutes to pack everything, and at long last, the moment of truth had arrived. When the Freedom pilot grabbed the four shopping bags off the support ledges in front of the sliding belt, he immediately stumbled badly as he nearly fell with his face first. That was the most disgraceful thing he did in front of Lacus and Miriallia, talk about utter humiliation and defeat.

"Kira!" shouted Lacus not believing what just happened, yet she was deeply worried, "Are you okay? Are you hurt? How could you have fell?"

"I'm okay…" said the perfect coordinator weakly as he stood back up with his arms like deep fried rubber bands. It appeared it was worse than expected.

"How did you fall, Kira?" questioned Miriallia, eyeing the Freedom pilot queerly. From his speed and calmness, it was nearly a miracle that he would tumble over with such bad taste. Was Kira a miracle worker? Whatever sort of marvel he was trying to do, it was nothing decent to be haughty of. In other words, it was terrible. "Don't tell me those four shopping bags are too heavy for you. Come on, Kira, you are a man."

"Kira…" Lacus bent down to his level worriedly, "What's wrong?"

"I don't think that I could carry these…" said Kira at last with a cracking smile, "I can't…"

"What are you talking about, Kira?"

"I have a confession to make…" he told her, taking a deep breath, "My arms are injured…"

The girls were honestly confused. He was not talking sense!

"What? Tell me again, more specifically." The Freedom pilot could not help but to catch the disbelief and anger that was building in her tone.

"I am still hurt from the accident…" he admitted at last with shame, "My arms… they have suffered from quite a significant blow… and they can barely hold a textbook right now. Lacus… I didn't want to worry you… so I told Athrun not to tell you or anyone else…" Judging from her expression, the songstress was not pleased. As a result, Kira had to try harder. "But look, they are healing right now, at least I can hold a novel properly… I can still push things, I can hold your hand and all… oh crap, I am going to die, am I?"

The pink haired Coordinator's look was calm and silent… okay, maybe it was uncomfortably calm. Miriallia wisely took a step back when a shadow was casting over the songstress' eyes; the aura she was desperately attempting to control appeared to be seeping out of her gentle exterior; and it didn't take a genius to realize how upset Lacus truly was. However, what shocked Kira more was when she raised her head to reveal a pair of happy eyes.

"Oh, that's okay!" she said although it was far from fine, "We'll just call a cab!"

Needless to say, Lacus did not speak to Kira for the entire day afterwards. In addition to this silent treatment, the surprise dinner became nothing but a total dreadful period for Yamato. Although everyone was having fun, only Athrun noticed that Lacus and Kira did not speak one word to another. Each moment their eyes met, they were simply destroying each other's hearts.

_**(North Toronto Collegiate Institute, morning of two days later)**_

It was drama class -one of those classes which nearly every one of them took- and the teacher that day taught them a small portion about improvisation. She explained that improvisation was all made up BS on stage, there should be no shame whatsoever for the audience would never believe that the actor's judgments were wrong. Excellent improvisation consisted of confidence, persuasion, and a tint of realism. Kira sat in a part of the room while listening with his friends. In all honesty, he did not fully understand what she was talking about, but he recalled that Tolle often did things right on the spot such as BSing a reason of why his assignment was late when he was still alive. The Freedom pilot wondered if that was considered acting or was it just talented BS?

No matter what that was, the teacher then told them to look for a partner. Before Kira could actually pick anyone, he felt a warm pair of arms looping around his to claim him. The only person next to him was Lacus, and what made the brown haired coordinator smile back was the fact that the songstress was smiling her beautiful upside down frowns. Yet, when she opened one of her eyes to uncover her grey pools, he wanted to panic once his eyes saw the cold glare.

She was still angry at him for lying about his arms. If that was the case, why did she pick him? Was this a blessing or a living death? Needless to say, the Freedom pilot awaited all the dread that was coming, but how could he believe Lacus would kill him when her hands were playing with his. Even so, when he turned to meet her eyes his heart felt otherwise.

In other words, he was shaking badly.

The other groups that he knew consisted of Athrun with Cagalli, Crot with Stellar, and finally Dearka with Yzak. Miriallia was with a girl named Tsukasa at the moment, but Kira kind of figured that she wanted to pair up with Dearka. Her eyes told him all. Like the Buster pilot said at times: You win some, and you lose a lot. Up to this point, the Freedom pilot pondered at how this logic worked. It certainly sounded hopeless and had much strength to shut off all sorts of optimism. Could this negative influence even affect Lacus' undying delightful nature?

"Does everyone have their groups yet?" asked the drama teacher by the name of Umino but not before disrupting Kira's thoughts. After taking one short glance around, she grinned when everyone was in pairs. "Now, what I want you all to improvise is two people. Their relationship aregrandparent and grandchild."

"This sounds simple enough," said Crot to Stellar, and she giggled lightly.

"The conflict between the two characters has a little twist though. The grandchild had done something wrong at school, the principal had informed home to his grandparent, and the grandchild knows that he is now in big trouble. What would a loving grandparent react when the grandchild comes back? That is what each group needs to act out."

"What's the catch?" questioned Athrun detecting all sorts of uncertainties in the teacher's voice. "Something is definitely missing…"

"Good detection skills, Athrun," she said profoundly, "The grandparent has his/her own parenting way. Like some parents demand their child to excel in academics, some parents are soft with their child in choosing their friends, maybe curfew isn't a big issue with some of them... You know,it varies. What is most important thing about this grandparent is that he/she runs the family with an Iron Fist." To her surprise, some of the class started to chuckle.

Crot was laughing when he heard the iron fist, and poor Stellar was trying her best to keep him silent. She was so polite. "Iron Fist? This sounds funny already!"

"Do you even know what Iron Fist means, Crot Buer? Did your parents ever tell you that?"

"How would I know," replied the Raider pilot easily, "Never had any."

To his shock, the Gaia pilot almost jumped.

"Sempai!" Stellar hushed, shaking his arm. "Don't say that! Remember, we have parents, you just don't visit them often enough, remember? Right?" Crot eyed her queerly for a second, what the hell was she talking about? As much as he wanted to believe that he was a normal person now living a normal life, his origin could not be changed. Despite how greatly he hated to state this, he was a Natural Extended, a boy who was born out of a test tube whose existence was to pilot the Raider Gundam. Kill, obliterate, terminate was all he learned. Finally, he got her message, andhe knew that he could not expose his deepest secret.

"Oh yeah…" the orange haired natural said kind of dumbly, "My parents are always overseas… no wonder I think that they are dead… kind of a bloody bastard, aren't I?" Athrun, Cagalli, Kira, Lacus, Miriallia, and Dearka immediately stared towards Crot, they already found plenty of holes in his words. What were Crot and Stellar trying to hide? Although they lied, they decided to keep it to themselves.

Lacus was more than certain that Stellar would open herself up eventually, they were good friends now after all.

"Anyway," continued the drama teacher although Kira and the gang somewhat dozed off midway, "Someone with an Iron Fist (don't take it literally though) means they are very strict with discipline or with anything in general. So I don't want to see any _deaths_ with this iron fist thing. So with your partners, give yourselves ten minutes to prepare the general outline of your improvisation to present to the class."

Getting themselves to make a skit -that was undoubtedly easier than to pilot a mobile suit.

* * *

Ten minutes was barely enough to discuss a plot, and it appeared luck was not on his side when the teacher announced that he and Lacus would be the first ones to present. The pinked haired songstress did not seem to mind that much, yet the Freedom pilot on the other hand was sweating bullets –not like he would like to admit out loud though but his actions spoke otherwise. Even if Lacus was still angry to a certain degree they contrived a plot, and all he needed to do was to follow it smoothly. 

Easier said than done -he had never acted in his life! If it wasn't for Cagalli and Lacus trying to convince him to improve his social skills –they thought Kira was too isolated and alone- the Freedom pilot could be enjoying his time in more computer related courses. In addition, Lacus actually did not allow him to take that many computer classes forshe argued that it made him into an idiot who knew no humane attributes.

The moment of truth had arrived; Kira was playing the grandchild, and Lacus was taking on the role of the grandmother. The pinked haired beauty was sitting on a chair –smiling serenely- waiting for her grandson to return on one end of the room, and Kira was hiding behind the black curtains that were installed in the room. The rest of the class was at the opposite side of the room watching the entire play.

"Grandma…" said Kira awkwardly as he entered on stage. Athrun and Cagalli chuckled when the Freedom pilot addressed Lacus as grandmother. Judging from looks, Lacus appeared much younger than Kira. If they were acting,Athrun and the restwould give them their space. "I'm home…"

"Oh, so you're back," said Lacus in her divinely solemn voice. Kira recognized it immediately; it was one of those voices that she used when she declared crucial announcements to ceasefire. The Justice pilot swallowed, and Kira wondered if Lacus was acting with astonishment or was she truly mad. The audience paid close attention to the songstress -who was actually sitting ever so patiently. "What took you so long?"

"I was walking home with a friend," replied Kira. "We were talking about… stuff…"

"It took that long?"

"Yes… we walked kind of slow today…"

"Do come into the living room, Kira," Lacus said as she forgot to change his name to something else -but it wasn't much of a problem.

"What for, grandma?" He was walking towards her by this point.

"Don't you have something to tell me?" she inquired, raising a brow suspiciously as he 'came' in.

"Like what?"

"Are you sure you have nothing to tell me? Like… nothing drastic happened at school today?"

"I don't know what you're talking about…" said the Freedom pilot as he became quite uneasy, "If you don't mind me, grandma… I'll go upstairs to clean out some stuff." Just as Kira was about to leave, Lacus stood up.

"Not so fast, Kira," she declared with a cold voice that sent chills down his spine, "Why are you leaving? Don't you want something to eat first?"

"No, thank you, grandma…"

"I will ask you once again nicely, Kira," said Lacus with her eyes doing all the talking. For once in his life, Kira was scared of her. Lacus' attitude changed 180 degrees in less than a minute, and now it seemed like she was acting within another set of acting. In other words, showing her real colours during the performance. Cagalli gulped hard hearing her voice, and Athrun was simply bewildered at how his former fiancee was behaving. Even though this was something that did not happen everyday, even the dark haired coordinator was frightened. "Did something happen at school today that you want to talk to me about?"

She lowered her head once more slightly as her eye contact was similar to piercing.

"No, grandma," Kira told her, "There was nothing at all." Without warning, Lacus marched right up to Kira andraising her hand next to her head before whacking it across his cheek -hard.

Smack.

She slapped him, and it was hard enough for him to fall down. Stellar gasped; Crot was stunned; Athrun and Cagalli hugged another closer; Dearka, Yzak, and Miriallia watched with disbelief; and Kira still could not believe what just happened. She slapped him hard and the pain was evidently there. In simpler terms, she meant it deliberately. The perfect coordinator scanned his eyes upward starting at the girl's feet and slowly moved up. He joltedvery noticeablywhen he found out Lacus' bluish gray eyes carried nothing but rage, anger, hostility, and coldness.

She was utmost serious forshe didn't laugh or react when she hit him. What saddened Kira was that she merely stood there waiting for him to bring his pathetic body back on his feet. Oblivious to the Freedom pilot, he had been staring for too long, and Lacus' calmness was starting to run thin.

"Get up!" she shouted angrily as her friends nearly jumped. Kira immediately stood up tall obediently; his heart was pumping all too quickly with fear as his fuel.

"Lacus…" Kira pleaded out of character, "You're going too-"

"Silence!" Lacus announced again despite his protests, "How dare you disrespect me like that! Who gave you the permission to call me Lacus? Who are you? Your grandfather, my mother, my father? You are nothing but a lying brat!"

"Lying brat?" Kira questioned not understanding where this is going. "What do you…"

"Don't you lie to me, Kira!" the songstress yelled with an accusing finger pointing at him straightly, "Do you think I don't know what kind of despicable actions you committed at school today? You take me for an idiot? I have lived for decades long before you were born! How dare you lie to me by saying nothing happened when your principal called me just an hour ago! Do I look like someone that you can just fool and get away with it?"

Kira took a step back wisely to achieve some distance. Much to his discomfort, his partner did not let him off the hook that easily. "What did I do that was so bad?"

"What was so bad?" she questioned him back with anger rising again, and taking firm steps toward his body, "What was so bad? Why don't you use your goddamn brain and tell me what was so bad?" Goddamn, that was one word that Kira never heard leaving her mouth. He was shocked that she used it in this sentence. Rage certainly took the best of people all too frequently. "You beat two students up because they were using a green marker that you wanted to use although they were using it first. When they told you to wait until they were done you snatched it from them. When they wanted it back, you punched them in the face before kicking them! How dare you do that! Grandma never taught you to be like this! Who's mother pissed these behaviours to you?"

If Kira was accurate, this was a good form of emotional abuse.

"But those kids…"

"Don't those kids me, Kira!" Lacus hushed harshly to cut him off short, "You were acting like a bully and beat them up because things aren't going smoothly! But the real problem isn't there though. The real problem iswhat the principal told me. He saidit wasbecause you were lying."

"Lying? About what?"

"You lied that you didn't hit them when the teacher asked you, and you forced the other two to believe that they simply fell and hurt themselves despite that everyone saw you hit them. What are you doing at school, becoming a dictator for everyone to respect through fear? The principal said that you always lie, and when you came back I expected you to lie and pretend nothing happened. I was right, you did lie. If you would lie to your grandmother, you would speak false words to many other people. What other trickery have you pulled off on me?"

"I swear, grandma," Kira begged for forgiveness despite that he had actually done nothing. Lacus right now was too scary for him to handle. "I didn't lie… I didn't do anything! Trust me!" At this point, he was on his knees.

"Why would I do that?" Lacus inquired, crossing his arms to further her splendid intimidation. Kira raised his head to meet hers in disbelief. What was she saying here?

"What do you mean?"

"Why should I trust you?"

"You are not serious, Lacu-grandmother!"

"I am very serious, Kira. You lied to your teacher, you lied to everyone, you even lied to me. Who knows who else you have lied to. You may even be lying to me right now by saying that you didn't lie. Or rather, you are lying by saying that you aren't lying.What makes you think that I should believe anything that you have to say?" Stellar wisely crawled behind Crot, and the Raider pilot was pretty frantic to find himself some cover; but of course he did not move for his sake of pride.

It was no shock that the Justice pilot and the Strike Rouge pilot sat deadly still. They did not know whether this was a gift to see Lacus' dark side early or feel pity for Kira for experiencing it first handedly. Needless to say, Dearka and Yzak were purely stunned to see this persona of hers. In fact, everyone who knew her well enough was scared.

"Grandmother…" Kira was once again on his knees despite this was all an act, "Please trust me… I am telling you the truth… I didn't want to tell you because I was scared… I was afraid that you would yell at me… I know I am a rageaholic, I can't live without ragahol!"

"Go give your lies to someone who wants to be fooled by you," she scolded cruelly, "I want no part of it."

"Grandmother!" Kira wanted to cry now.

"Get out of my sight!" the pink haired coordinator lady shouted to banish him. "I know no grandchild who lies to me!" That went over the line -even as an audience member- Athrun believed that was just too much. However, before he stood up the drama teacher was one step quicker.

"That was marvelous, Lacus!" announced the teacher as the songstress' face softened due to the interruption. Kira was still too absorbed to move properly, but his teacher's entrance dragged him away from his acting world. To be completely sincere, Kira did not even feel there was an audience just now, he seriously believed that he was talking to Lacus in her rage and fury. It was so real, it made a very deep impact. "You and Kira did a wonderful job!"

"We did?" asked the pink haired beauty, raising her eyes with a several blinks of confusion.

"That yelling, screaming, the authority you showed… that was great! And Kira, your performance was equally excellent. Your decision to cower and plead for forgiveness was a sign that you trust your partner. This is how teamwork is formed, not to mention trust." The teacher might be speaking, but Kira was listening to none of it. As a matter of fact, Lacus' words just roamed in his mind like a hawk surrounding its prey. Whatever was being spoken came into his right ear exited the left without making one single ounce of significance.

"Kira…" whispered Lacus when she was already kneeling down to his level. Kira failed to notice this due to his deep thoughts. "Are you okay?" She sounded apologetic, the Freedom pilot would give her that much. "Are you angry that I screamed like that although I was acting… I am sorry…"

"Were you?" he questioned her a bit coldly. Lacus was taken aback.

"Of course…" she told him, trying to sound presentable, "It was just improv… I think I went a bit too much… sorry…"

"Not your fault," said Kira with a few words, "You were just acting… yeah, you were just acting…"

"Kira…" she murmured sadly, outstretching her hand to hold his. Second time today, he shocked her by retracting his own hand back. "Kira?"

"I don't think you would want to hold hands with someone who lies to you." With that said -like a dead man- the perfect coordinator slowly got back up on his feet before walking back to the audience spots without Lacus' consent. He even intentionally sat near Dearka and Yzak so he would be away from Lacus. He needed some time to think about what she said. The words "I have no grandchild that lies to me" kept repeating itself irritatingly in his head. When he replaced grandchild with friend... that statement would meant that he was the liar.

What disgusted him was that he was a liar.Kira spoke falsification to Lacus and pretended nothing happened. When he had to reveal it to the light the bubble ignited itself like a wildfire, and the burns created scars that were nearly unrecoverable. What a moron he was for speaking such idiotic things.

Under all this confusion, Athrun and Cagalli still detected everything that was going on. Nothing escaped their eyes.

* * *

"This skit of ours," announced Yzak as he and Dearka went up on stage with hands behind their backs, "Is called The Iron Fist." 

The Iron Fist, thought the Justice pilot as his eyes showed confusion already, what was Yzak doing? Some of the class began to chuckle by this time; the title of this play was strange enough as it is! Somehow, skepticism seemed to wash all over this. It was then when Yzak was sitting at the side of the stage in a chair –obviously playing the grandfather role- and Dearka was currently off stage. Once the Duel pilot gave the signal that they were starting the class gave their full attention.

"Hello… grandfather…" the blond coordinator came in sounding like a wimp, "I'm home…"

"Yeah," said Yzak unfeelingly. "So you are." Dearka treaded softly and carefully near Yzak, and the gray haired coordinator gave a look at the Buster pilot before actually giving his fellow actor some recognition.

"Grandfather… I got something to tell you…"

"Go on."

"I failed my math test today… I'm sorry…" After confessing, Yzak gave a punkish nod –which old people never did due to their age- as he got up from his chair. He was dead silent while walking around his chair a little bit leaving Dearka not really knowing what he should be doing.

"Well then," said the Duel pilot after six seconds with his back turned to his partner and pretending to put on a glove, "Looks like I have to use the Iron Fist."

"No, not the Iron Fist! Anything but the Iron Fist!" protested Dearka loudly before Yzak turned around giving a wild punch at his jaw. The entire class howled with laughter as the Buster pilot twirled back. "AAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHH!" In one scream, Dearka was down for the count and assumed to be dead.

Yzak had one foot on Dearka's chest. "Well now… looks like I got to get rid of the body."

At that point, everyone laughed out loud -even the saddened Yamato was curling in laughter.

However, the drama teacher was enraged. "Yzak Jule, Dearka Elthman, I will see you two after school!"

**_(English Class, later on that same day)_**

"This is completely preposterous!" argued the Duel pilot to the Raider pilot -who was next to him, "Just because Dearka and I didn't think of anything… it doesn't mean that bitch could just give us detentions like because she wants to! Like come on, doesn't she have something better to do?" Crot, Dearka, and Miriallia sighed in unison at his outbursts and objections.

"Jule," the orange haired Natural Extended began with a groan, "I have heard this thing all through lunch and computer gaming class… just give it a rest, okay?" Stellar -although she was sitting elsewhere- was watching them. It was boring to sit alone ever since Shani left, and having perverted guys trying to pointlessly hit on her did not make her mood change for the better.

"Rest?" questioned the Duel pilot, flaring up, "I can't just give it a rest! This is injustice. Come on, Dearka, don't you have a say in this? You and I are on the same boat!"

"I told you the Iron Fist killing thing wouldn't work," the Buster pilot told him with exasperation, "And you say it was chill despite that she said no deaths."

Miriallia thought otherwise. "Well," she said, "It wasn't that bad. It was funny how you just get killed so simply. I would've passed you right there for comedy." Dearka sure felt grateful that his friend said that to cheer him up, however, those words seemed to enrage Yzak further.

"Your flattery would be much more appreciated if you were the ones giving out the marks," the gray haired Coordinator announced kind of bitterly but not actually angry at Miriallia, "However, you are in no control of it, and at this rate Dearka and I would fail."

"It's just one assignment," assured Crot, and the Raider pilot rarely had such a passion to make others feel better. In fact, he didn't even know why he was being such a help.At the same time, if this stopped Yzak from ranting maybe it was good to switch tactics for once. "She wouldn't hate you because of that. You got plenty of chances."

Yzak decided to give him a look. "What the hell are you doing… why are you being so encouraging all of a sudden?" This made Crot cringe with deep, inner rage. Talk about an abrupt bubble burst. Despite that Crot wanted to make a comeback –he had plenty of those up his sleeve- he stared completely still at the door for that moment. Knowing the Raider pilot, Dearka and Yzak knew he would say something. What surprised them was that Crot was silent.Soon, they turned their heads towards the entrance -and Yzak just gasped.

At long last, their English teacher Tanaka had come back after a week's worth of absence.

"What are you bastards doing?" Tanaka began his foul mouth right on the bat, "I have been absent for a while and you guys are here having a picnic! Did that insolent supply teacher raise you all to be like animals who know nothing but to savage and being pathetic? Get your act together, I got a class to teach!"

"We don't get paid enough to be taught under this bastard…" Athrun commented to Cagalli before she nodded to agree.

Just before Tanaka was about to walk to his front desk, Yzak spoke up. "So, where were you?"

"What?" Stellar and Crot watched Yzak like a bystander very carefully.

"You heard me, I asked where were you for the past week."

"That is none of your business, Yzak Jule. There were some necessary things that I needed to deal with my family." The Duel pilot smirked inwardly, he knew his teacher was being a laughing stock within the staff department. It was quite soon when the rumours started to come out to the students. Some said that Tanaka fell down the stairs; others said that he got laid with hookers and someone saw him; intelligence also had it that he was deeply insulted; some said that Tanaka suffered from a week of diarrhea; some stated that he got raped. But whatever the reason, Yzak knew what truly happened; after all, he was the mastermind that caused all this chaos.

"Sure you did." That statement made the teacher flinch, and Crot, Stellar, Dearka, Miriallia, Athrun, and the rest chuckled. Obviously, they knew the teacher's real reason.

"Whatever, Jule, I hope that you won't become that someone who disgraces the image of this class. This goes for you, too, Crot Buer." The Raider pilot wasn't expecting that he would be involved in this conversation as well. Yet he didn't really care. Rather, he had no obligation whatsoever to give a damn. "I don't want our new student to believe that I raised you all to be wolves."

"New student?" asked Cagalli curiously. "But this is the end of the day… well, nearly."

"Yes, Cagalli," said Tanaka in a calmer voice that he did not use on Yzak, "She arrived a little late, but she insisted that she should visit this class." This declarative statement confused Miriallia.

"She should come here tomorrow then," said the former Archangel CIC as a comment, "Never mind…"

"I don't really care who she is," stated the Raider pilot casually, putting his hands behind his head, "She sounds like a nerd or a geek." Stellar sighed at her sempai's behaviour. Why must every word he spoke had to be an insult or mockery?

Dearka inquired. "And why?" Also, Athrun and Cagalli seemed to be curious.

"Use your head," the Natural Extended told them, "It's the end of the day and this lady still wants to visit this dump with this teacher around. Not only that, this is English class, one of those classes that we are only taking because it's our ticket out of this hellhole. Think realistically, if we actually had a choice I am certain that none of us would even be here, right? Not trying to make you piss in your pants or anything, but like… this course sucks. And with this teacher, it's like we just walked into a torture chamber with no means to escape."

Despite how true those words might be, maybe Crot should've considered not talking that loud. The teacher was deathly outraged.

"You!" Tanaka shouted with hatred as he slammed his meter stick on the table so hard that it snapped into two with one half flying across the room. "What the hell did you say? I dare you to say it again!"

"You heard perfectly well," said Crot, although Stellar, Lacus, and Kira were signaling him to stop now desperately, "It's exactly what you think it means."

"You can't be that guy who did all those calls… or can you… Crot Buer… You always had a problem with me, it must've been you! You did everything!" The Raider pilot merely smirked and ignored his friends' message.

"You accuse me of what? What sorts of evidence do you even have to say I did whatever you think it was? At the same time… was this something the reason why you left school for a week? I thought you were having some issues with your family. Don't tell me you've been lying to the class now, Tanaka. I always thought you didn't like liars… but at the same time, you are being a hypocrite. So, tell us, what really happened?"

"It's none of your business!" At this point, everyone knew that the next bit of anger would cause the teacher to flip. In addition, what really made all the students ponder was how did this man become a teacher to begin with? He had anger problems, he was a liar, and overall Tanaka was quite pathetic.

"You might as well tell us," said Yzak to defend his friend although he was about to kill him during the war, "Or the class wouldn't trust you or your teachings. I am certain that I am speaking in behalf of everyone."

Tanaka desired to scream, yet his imaged was saved when the door opened.

"Tanaka-sensei?" a girl with long black hair and dark eyes said as she came in the room slightly, "I heard some screaming from outside… and I was worried… Can I come in now?" To some of the men in the classroom they thoughtshe was gorgeous. So this was the new student.

"Not now, Shiho," the teacher told her, his heart was aching a little due to rage and hate. "Whatever…" Tanaka was now panting heavily, "You can introduce yourself… come in, Shiho."

"Shiho!" exclaimed the Duel pilot loudly but it was cut short when Crot jabbed him in his gut.

This name made Yzak panic greatly, and her appearance alone got his brain to recall her. He clearly remembered when this was the girl whose skills rivaled his although she piloted a Zaku or a Ginn. She was his vice-captain, andhow could he forget it. At the same time, one question remained in his mind.

_Why the hell is Shiho down here? Don't tell me… _

_**(At PLANT the next evening)**_

It was quite a tough day; no questions were needed on that fact. He didn't know what he was actually doing, but Shani decided to isolate himself as soon as lunch started. In spite that may have been an act of supreme cowardice, the Forbidden pilot did not believe he had any choice.

He needed to avoid Lunamaria at all costs.

During class, he intentionally withdrew any sort of eye contact with her, and if he did look at her it took less than a second to escape her beautiful dark cerulean eyes. However, each time he stole a glance, he could tell that she was depressed, and only one person could serve as the emotional healer. How utterly confusing it was; what should he do?

It was now after class, and Shani practically left the class fairly quickly without making his usual warm farewells. He had a shooting session with Shinn and Meyrin, but he ungracefully cancelled it due to the fact that Lunamaria would show up with them –like all the other lessons. He had faith in Meyrin and Shinn forthey were making quite good progress on their training, and even without Shani's help they were doing quite fine. That easily lightened his schedule for the day butnow he had nothing to do.

Shani hated being bored.

Where was he at the moment? Actually, he was in the streets of PLANT in his normal day clothes so no one in the military would recognize him. To be honest, Shani had not met too many of his comrades yet since he had only been here for a week or so. The closest friends he had were Shinn, Heine, Meyrin, and especially Lunamaria.They were indeed great people to be around with; he would admit that to the very least. Somehow, his mind went back to a certain magenta haired girl. Her smiles were majestic; her body was like as if kami-sama forged it Himself; her breasts… so enticing; her short pink skirt was a deliberate statement of attractiveness and seductiveness; she was so gorgeous, and her personality rivaled her unexplainable arcane beauty...

No!

What the hell was he doing? Why was he picturing Lunamaria? He knew he was no where obsessed with her, yet he couldn't purge her out of his mind? Or was he obsessed? No, he wasn't… then was it due to guilt? Was it because he saw her so down that it made him think? How was she this powerful? The only other person that truly made him have a conscience was Stellar Louissier, the lady that he at least considered to be like a baby sister to him. Was this fate? Did destiny wanted Lunamaria to be with him? He didn't know, and he didn't want to start considering the possibilities.

Yet, he still believed the coordinator girl was beautiful…

Shaniexplored around on his own for two hours or so down in the district of downtown; anything that kept him from imaging girls was good. The Forbidden pilot wasn't doing anything too special, just window shopping, having a bit of snacks down the road, and possibly trying to observe how beautiful it was when there was peace. As long as he was a soldier, he would fulfill his duties to allow peace to reign over humanity. Grunting to himself, he fidgeted his hand a little bit when it noticed the chill. He was surprised to see that it was already 6:30PM according to his watch; he didn't know the temperature changes were this drastic from afternoon to evening. Not even a week of living here made him see through this difference.

Meanwhile, the Forbidden pilot had another issue to deal with; his hunger. Being a growing 18 year old male, food was essential –and he tried hard not to put it as first priority in his life. Shani did a good job at satisfying his superiors first before himself, but when the higher ranks were satisfied he had no choice but to indulge himself for no one else would. Not the greatest theory, but a theory nonetheless. The Forbidden pilot had two choices at this point; eat outside or go back to base and have their 24hour food court. For obvious reasons, he didn't want to stay at base without legitimate reasons for Lunamaria would be around him. For the entire week, that beautiful girl had been hanging around with him along with Shinn and Meyrin. Not like he minded, their company made him sane as much as he hated to admit it.

For now, he preferred to differentiate himself with the military whenever possible. He needed some time to think. So without much further mental arguments, he decided to stay out here for a little while longer.

Shani began observing around for a restaurant but his mind could not fully make up a choice. Most of them were either fast foods or classy restaurants that would cost him a fortune just to order a plate of spaghetti. Even restaurants were against him, but at the same time loneliness swept over him like a flood. Many people around him traveled in pairs; hand in hand; all lovey-dovey. The longer he watched them, the colder his hands become. Shani actually missed having Stellar around; he didn't hit him until now that he enjoyed having her by his side. Her touches, smiles, words... they were all obvious signals of affection. They meant security; it made him believe that he was important in someone's life instead of being Forbidden Gundam's living CPU. Stellar might have feelings that were more than just friendship… Butshe was not here with him, and he felt deeply alone.

After some hopeless wandering Shani finally arrived at a place that he was familiar with. On the left stood an apartment building, and the first thing that came to his mind was Lunamaria sticking out her tongue. That was her first reaction towards the landlord, and Shani remembered it all too well. What alluring charm she had, he was so different from any girl he had met. When his stomach growled a little bit, Shani immediately banished any sort of remembrance of Lunamaria for a second; he needed to focus on his task. Suddenly, an idea struck him.

If this was the same apartment he tried to move in before, that meant the restaurant he went to with Lunamaria last week was nearby. The food was good; the service was exquisite; friendly folks around; just everything about that place was worth complimenting. It was finally decided, the Forbidden pilot would visit that place again… just for the sake of memories, and the fact that it was close by. Regardless of what reason, Shani needed to find some place to eat, or he would get killed from starvation –which was one of the most humiliating ways to die as a soldier.

If he knew that place's reputation, he assumed it would be crowded in the next hour.

**_(In less than 15 minutes later)_**

Judging from the clock at the restaurant it said 6:47PM, and much to his disbelief it was already starting to crowd. Shani thought about it thoroughlyhe really shouldn't have spent such a large fraction at his time wandering around. For beneficial reasons, he should've been considering the consequences of being late. No matter now, there was a small crowd and it only meant there would be waiting. If he learned anything at that moment that would bebeing punctual had no drawbacks.

His stomach roared to itself once again after getting a number from the desk. It said number 23but there were at least over half a dozen more people ahead of him. If his own estimating abilities were strong as he remembered it, it would take at least half an hour until it was his turn to be seated -and that meant 30 minutes with no possibility of food entering his system. However, that was just a guess. Doing what was best, he might as well ask someone ahead of him how long they have been waiting for. Asking one question wouldn't hurt; that was what he safely assumed.

He saw a young lady with a pleasant aura around her, she was pretty and Shani just took his chances. He gave her a pat on the shoulder and began asking. "Do you know how long it may be until…" He didn't even finish his question yet and he already regretted his actions. The Forbidden pilot cursed himself for failing to notice the girl had short magenta hair and when she turned around his heart shattered feeling that his efforts for the entire day had been wasted.

"Shani!" exclaimed the girl with delight, "What a coincidence!"

_Crap!_ "Lunamaria-san…" Shani said with all his dread hidden inside, "It's such a…"

"Pleasure to see me?" she asked with an endearing smile. Shani could not do a thing but to grin back a tad bit forcefully.

"Of course…" he lied skillfully.

"How come you left class immediately and did not have your lessons with Meyrin and Shinn?" she inquired him with innocence and a small tilt in her head. "Are you sick? Were you okay?" She soon did something beyond his expectations; she held his cheek with her right hand and his forehead with her left. What truly shocked his heart to the fullest was how easy she was performing all this; no hesitationandall natural.

"Lunamaria…"

"Quiet, Shani," she cooed. She actually cooed him! What kind of blasphemy was this? "Just one second." At this point, she was taking advantage on the situation and leaning on him comfortably, yet the Forbidden pilot did not carry the necessary argument to stop her from continuing.

"Lunamaria… what makes you so sure that I am sick?"

"I know you are a Natural," she whispered in his ear so other bystanders would not know. Both ZAFT soldiers knew not everyone was comfortable with Naturals and Coordinators blending in so freely. It was still verynatural for some of them to have their minor prejudices -or major detest. At the same time -like that landlord from a week ago- there were people who had immoral hatred. Long explanation short, they had to be very cautious –especially with a natural among them. "You aren't like me, you are not so immune to sickness and diseases."

"I guess you're right…"

"Why are you here?"

"Can't I have dinner?"

"Why here?" she quickly inquired. "Why not back at base? They do have lasagna tonight and you like their lasagna. You wouldn't miss it in the world."

"How do you know that I like their lasagna?"

"I see you eat three dishes of those instead of your usual small appetite of consuming one dish. You always eat more of that than anything else available." He was taking a bit off guard when she saw through him like glass. When did he make his actions this obvious? Or was she actually that skilled? Regardless of whatever the case may be, all Shani knew was that he felt cornered.

"Is that so?" he said back dumbly.

"So, tell me, why are you here? Is there a reason why you weren't there nearly the entire time? Is there a reason why you didn't have lunch with me and Shinn, or maybe did not have lunch at all?" By this time, Shani noticed that he was pushed to the corner of a wall where it gave him and Lunamaria the privacy needed. This was worse than he first imagined. "Shani Andras, were you trying to avoid me?"

She ventured too deep yet Shani lacked the strength to retaliate. One, her questions were mind shocking. Second, his hand –at least the back of it- were in contact with her sizeable breasts. However, this time around despite he knew that she felt it she did not mind nor had the intention to care. She was so close to him, andif she moved her head two inches forward Shani may lose himself and take her lips for a kiss. Conversely, he wouldn't simply do something that undignified.

"No…" he said along with a small, insignificant cough, "Why would I be?"

"I know you are… ever since I tried holding your hand… you didn't look at me anymore. Tell me, Shani, am I that despicable? Am I someone that can't have your care? I don't want you to hate me… do you hate me?"

Shani grunted quietly to himself as he inhaled one deep breath of air. When a woman or anyone asked him this type of question so directly, what kind of options did he have? In some cases, a yes or no was very difficult. He only had one choice left -escape.

"Of course I don't hate you," he said as she smiled slightly. He then strongly took out his crushed left arm to look at his watch. He really wanted to grimace when his palm brushed cleanly on her breasts for at least 2 or 3 seconds."Oh, look at the time, it's later than I thought it was. Well, I got a class progress report that I need to deal with by tomorrow. I better get going." Giving more strength in his shifting, he got out of Lunamaria's hold before exiting the restaurant by the door. Being the kind Lieutenant that he was, Shani still bid a farewell.

Needless to say, Lunamaria did not allow Shani to simply leave with such a lame excuse as his support.

"Shani!" called the coordinator girl running after him. "Don't leave!" She ran so quickly that she even tackled him from behind -making the Forbidden pilot cry a little bit before making a loud thump on the ground. Lunamaria blushed hard when she realized she was on top of him, what made her feel more guilty was that Shani's eye showed confusion and dizziness. "Sorry…"

"Lunamaria… what are you… why aren't you having…"

"I am not eating without you," she protested eagerly, "I don't want to eat alone… I want you to be with me."

"I have to get…"

"Liar!" she said loudly, "I know you are making excuses! Shani, after knowing another for this long… can't you realize what my feelings towards you is like?" Her face was carrying a shade of endearing pink, her voice was incredibly gentle and caring. Lunamaria's posture right now was not only cute, it was very charming. That kneeling position with that innocent face –although her thoughts were nothing within the guiltlessness range- Shani thought she was just stunning. At the same time, what she just said made his forehead sweat a few drops.

"Ano…" the wasabi green haired natural choked and gasped, "It's not… I don't hate you…"

"That's not what I asked," she replied sharply despite that she was still on top of him, "I asked that do you know how I feel about you." She was persistent in achieving affection, Shani would give her that much –but all Shani thought was affection as friends. Moreover, the Forbidden pilot did not understand why Lunamaria would want him to be the source of it.What did he do to make her feel so strongly about this?

"I don't know…"

"How would you not know? I really like you!" There, she confessed it. What did Shani do -he simply stared with awe. It wasn't long before a blush came upon his face, and obviously Lunamaria giggled when she saw it. Like him… did she mean more than just a friend… like… romantically? She could not have meant that.He was her Lieutenant, she was his student, there was no possible way that she would like him with any means. Shani kept telling himself that it was not possible but Lunamaria's eyes did not appear to be speaking lies.

"Should we not talk about this here… I mean… you are on top of me…"

"You will run away again, I don't trust you!" She certainly wanted him to be here.

"But I am lying on my back with you above, and more importantly we are in the public."

"I don't care what kind of method I use, as long as I keep you still!" Shani had to admit that she was one tough cookie, and she was beginning to understand him like a book. The Forbidden pilot wasn't assigned to pilot the Forbidden Gundam for nothing.Shani was cunning and unpredictable as he was dangerous. Of course, the dangerous part no longer applied sincehe was not a mobile suit pilot any longer-at least not Forbidden.

"I can be still elsewhere…" Come on, he was the Lieutenant, not her! Why was he cowering with Lunamaria? "Let's go somewhere else, I promise I won't run away." He darted his eye to the right andit wasn't good when he found people staring at him queerly. When he moved it to the left, his eye cringed when he saw some drivers also having that kind of weird expression. Shani just wished Heine or any other of his co-workers did notwitness this pathetic scene.

"You promise?" Lunamaria asked innocently but also quite serious for an honest answer. He never liked to anger the coordinator lady. When he nodded, Lunamaria barely gave him space to get up. To his surprise, she took his hand immediately and held it as she guided him up. Even when he was already standing, Lunamaria refused to let go just yet. "Remember, if you run away, I will bite you."

That threat made the ZAFT Lieutenant chuckle. Lunamaria pouted seeing that her words weren't working, she thought that would do it but she smiled when Shani grinned back – Lunamaria finally knew he was enjoying the moment with her. She comfortably rested her head on his shoulder with a blush on her beautiful visage, and once Shani felt his shoulder getting warm he fought really hard not to flush up. She was so divine, so beautiful, how could he resist her arcane beauty and charm?

Somehow, he remained in tact but it was exceptionally difficult when she played with his hand with her own soft, gentle, smooth, sensitive ones. She looked at him once in a while andeach time a shade of crimson plastered on her cheeks. Shani Andras was so handsome; he was definitely sweet; he was not the pervert that she thought he was when they first met; his majestic maturity fascinated her so much.

Oh, she adored him.

Why didn't he look her way when she was watching him? Didn't he know her feelings yet? She knew so much about him; what he liked to eat; what to drink; knew when he would love to listen to music; what made him truly smile; his favorite weapon to use was the M4a1 Assault Rifle; Shani always preferred meditation over social events despite that he was old enough to drink; she also knew that Shani cherished friends in spite his cold demeanor. Lunamaria even safely assumed he did not have too many friends when Shani frequently referred to Stellar, Crot, and his fallen comrade Oruga who died in the war.

If the Forbidden pilot did not have too many friends, Lunamaria was more than willing to become someone that he could truly consider a friend. Of course, she would drag Shinn and Meyrin into it sincethey were perfect candidates for friend material. At the same time, it wasn't like they weren't friends already. Shani had been giving them a few tips on their shooting and their confidence about the exam had increased quite a notch. Maybe it was Lunamaria that wasn't certain about her confidence with him, but that would change if she had Shani all to herself.

Now it was the time. By the time she actually gave some attention to where they were walking, her eyes gleamed with excitement when she found out they were now at a park. With this low amount of light shining and being the only ones here, this spot was perfect. In reality, the Forbidden pilot was just venturing around at random, and at the same time once he lowered his right eye to look at her face, Shani swallowed hard when he noticed the zeal in her blue pupils. At last, the moment was upon them.

"Shani," called the coordinator girl when she found there was a bench along the path they were walking on. The dark sky's concealment was perfect. Anything said here would remain just between them.

"What is it?" he asked in a quiet voice as if there were people watching their every move. At a moment like this it was difficult not to panic. To the very least,it was tough not to beparanoid.

"Want to sit there?" she questioned, pointing at the long braced bench. If a woman wanted to sit down, it only meant one thing; time to get the issue over with no matter what the consequences. There were periods in his life that he wished he did not know Stellar that well, although he had no experiences with women he knew how women think. Suddenly, he recalled Oruga saying that Shani was a ladies man.If it wasn't for his naturally creepy and anti-social characteristic he could've did it with every chick he wanted. Of course, that point would only be legitimate and valid provided if they weren't experiments in the Rodnia Laboratory.

As far as Shani could remember, experiments were not supposed to have affectionate emotions. However, no one was perfect and even some of the doctors treated some of the more exceptional biological weapons with care and love. One of the more fortunate ones had to be Auel Neider 0one of Stellar's closer friends since they were around the same age. Shani wondered how he was these days along with his buddy Sting Oakley. They were friends to a degree, and what nagged the Forbidden pilot was that ZAFT was not doing anything to save any of his former comrades. Even so, the Rodnia Laboratory was a deep secret within the EAF and only the highest ranks and councils of the military knew of the lab's existence. That was why Orb (along with Archangel) and ZAFT were not prepared to battle against Calamity, Forbidden, and Raider. If they had intelligence that biological weapons were being created everyday, Archangel should've been -in theory-ready for their arrival.

Despite how much Shani wanted to reveal the secret about his former home, if ZAFT took initiative to take it over, Shani wondered if that reason would be powerful enough to start another war. Sadly enough, Shani believed that he should not even be alive. The fact that Crot, Stellar, and him were still breathing air was actually a miracle. When things started to cool down noticeably then it would be more suitable. Everyone knew the treaty was extremely fragile at this state.

"Shani, are you listening to me?" a voice came and disrupted his thoughts. Henceforth, the green haired Lieutenant was abruptly shook back to reality. Grunting slightly, Shani wanted to apologize for his rudeness, but instead of speaking he jolted back when his eye saw that cute pout of hers. She had to stop showing her endearing attributes or he would really lose it. "Were you thinking of something?"

"Somewhat…" he answered, knowing that the Rodnia Laboratory and his past couldn't be told to anyone. Oblivious to Shani, Lunamaria's intuitions were incredibly sharp. Although she did not know what precisely he was thinking of, she knew it was something to do with his life –since only his own past could make such a drastic impact on Shani. Thiswas something she picked up during these several days. However, she assumed a tad too quickly.

"You were thinking about Stellar, weren't you?" she immediately questioned with haste. Needless to say, the only thought in Shani's mind was a big question mark.

"No, not really…"

"You were, I know you were." How was she this good? She then took him by the hand before guiding him to sit next to her. In an immediate reaction, the Forbidden pilot blushed a little andhe felt his cheeks burn when she rested her head on his shoulder ever so naturally. She soon moved her hand on top of his before playing with it a little and she smiled when Shani didn't refuse her.

"Lunamaria-san…" he whispered although no one was around, "Come on… don't…"

"You're warm," she told him in a moan before her arms snaked around his body to gather more of his body heat. "It feels really comfortable. Please, can we be like this for a while? I'm cold…" This was what happened the last time they went out, but today Lunamaria was wearing enough clothing. Needless to say, she was taking advantage of this situation.To hissurprise once more, Shani had no intention to take it away from her. He just allowed her to hold him despite that his emotions may dominate his logic.

Having her around him was so pleasant, yet he remembered why he came here. Not trying to allow himself to be too relaxed, he forced himself to talk to her. "Lunamaria-san…"

"Do you like me?" she questioned as she snuggled even more. When that question was brought up to him, he instantly turned stiff. Shani's hand was not moving anymore, his mind went blank –somewhat-, his drugged heart nearly demanded to stop immediately, but when he looked at her again… she was smiling with that adorable blush that he loved. The coordinator girl watched him hopefully again; her blue eyes gleamed with delight and joy andhe could tell that she loved his presence. With that face plastered in his mind, what could he do? Also, he was at the break of losing his sanity when he smelled her breath… it was elegant… as if a field of jasmine or fragrance swarmed the air.

"Lunamaria-san…"

"Call me Luna-chan," she commanded sweetly as her head moved in a bit closer to his, "Don't be so formal with me. Shani, do you like me? Answer me that… please."

In this tight spot with her entangled around him, what options were left? Why was affection so complex?

**_AN: What will Shiho say to Yzak? Can Shani survive through what Lunamaria is going to tell him? Is Sting Oakley and Auel Neider alive? When will Stellar and Shinn finally meet again? Is Kira and Lacus' relationship doomed before it begins? Will the triangle die down or become even more chaotically dangerous? Will anyone fall in love?_**

**_So many questions, and I know all of it! HAHAHAHAHAHA (a bullet flies by and strikes my arm) Ow… that hurts… momentarily… No matter if I am shot or not… a review would be something that I would be grateful for, thank you all so much for reading it to this point. The next chapter would be out in 2 to 3 weeks. Please wait patiently, but don't stone me midway, okay? (Runs before getting shot more badly) Oh, dear god, my foot!_**


	7. Confusion Awaits

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_Chapter 7: Confusion Awaits_

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Seed in any fashion. I am just a fan, just someone who loves nearly all the characters but especially Shani Andras, and Lunamaria Hawke.

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts, and those words in italics could also be in this category.

Scene Changes are listed in bold italic brackets.

**_AN: After two or three weeks of no update, I am back with a new chapter! Damn this site and their URL failures and all that shit... I couldn't even update! With so many mysteries unsolved, I don't want to delay this thing any longer than necessary. I know my chapters are quite random and I usually don't discuss the same couple twice in a row. I don't know why, I just don't have much love to write some of them. However, their conflicts would be solved in one way or another. Anyway, instead of me doing all that bullshit talk that I usually do, I would just move right onto the Reviewer's Question and Answer Period. Long story short, I would just like to thank you all individually. If you want to skip the next section, feel free to do so._**

**_Asga:_** Did you think Lacus pretended to slap Kira? Although she was acting, she did hit him hard right in the face. Lacus literally hitting Kira, that's gotta hurt.

**_Dragon of the Burning Flame:_** Hey, thanks for liking my work, I am trying to reach for the top. I hope sixteen or seventeen days is an early enough update for you. Thanks for reviewing!

**_MissKT:_** It's okay to be cranky at times, hey, it's a human emotion after all. As long as you aren't suffering from menopause or your period then it would fine. What do you mean by going all directions? Do you mean random or something else? Also, no need to be apologetic about giving me a paragraph worth of review, I like long ones because that means the reader is actually reading –that is only if they don't write BS intentionally. Hey, I am the master of BS, I can detect it. Thanks again!

**_GATX-105B:_** Is that the Mobile Suit name for Sword Strike Gundam? Are Kira and Lacus going to be together or are they going to fail? If you kill me and rip off my ass, there will be no story, and it will be your entire fault. HA! I hope this update would satisfy you.

**_Jasx316:_** It is still easier to find you online. However, I still want to answer some of your questions. From what I gathered from some resources and stuff, Shiho is someone that is engaged to Yzak in Destiny. I never recalled it being mentioned in the anime though… but I think you would know why Shiho is down here after reading this chapter. As for Shani, I will take your advice and make him less wimpy. Also, I think falling in love slowly works better for some of the pairings, and more or less everyone's relationship would never happen in just a snap.

**_Dust-In:_** I read "Writer's Block", and I seriously believe that it is a wonderful story. As for your question about which anime suits my story the most… that's hard to say. Sadly enough, I don't think that it would fit in any one of them because it's not multiple girls on one guy type of friendship. However, the closest one I think would be Ichigo 100 Percent. I don't know how, but that is what I think to the least.

About the models… I live in Toronto, and there are plenty of Asian malls, so I could get the Gundams quite easily. As for the outlining tools I use… you could always buy 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 pens at those hardcore modeling shops. Then again, you can always look for STAEDTLER pigment liners for drawing and writing in your local art store. Don't get such thick liners though, 0.2 should be your maximum. Remember, be careful when you outline because you don't have that many chances to mess up.

Thanks for supporting my fic and my Naruto stories. You have my gratitude.

**_RobinAmon:_** Which part was funny in chapter 6? I would really like to know. Anyhow, I thank you so much for reviewing!

**_D.D Designator:_** Yes, I do believe that ShaniLunamaria should rule for all eternity –in this fic to the very least. Dude, I love your enthusiastic support!

**_PurgingLight:_** Glad that you like it a lot, sir. Looks like you like ShaniLunamaria as well. Welcome to my world.

**_Arurisonu Akane:_** Finding you on MSN is so much easier than typing my eternal gratefulness here. Thank you so much for reading chapter 7 for me ahead of time! Love you, too, okay?

**_LoveHurtsAlot:_** Your patience wasn't in vain, here is the newest update!

**_Raider-kun:_** How many people are addicted to this pairing? Is ShaniLunamaria that 'addictive'? Make love… isn't it a bit too soon for him to do that to her? I mean, they only known another for nearly two weeks. Regardless, your review is very much appreciated.

**_DeAtH ZeAlOt:_** Your kind words are very much respected and appreciated. Please continue to like my chapters and pairings like you have before.

**_Forbidden:_** Yo, thanks for your reasons for not bitching at me about my mistakes. I am trying to change for the better after all. Thank you so much for reviewing.

**_KiraIzamura:_** You think that was good, I hope this is better. Read on, my friend.

**_Faith2000:_** I think this would be as soon as I could possibly go… hope it's not a problem with you.

**_Josh:_** Okay, your review just pisses me off. I happen to have a life outside of this fanfiction world, when was I someone who is obligated to write for you? If you actually read my last chapter, I said it would take me 2 to 3 weeks –not a several days. I do not write for specific people, and especially not for any individual who rushes me believing that they have the right to do so.

**_Alex:_** You want lovemaking action between Shani and Lunamaria as well? Wow, this must be a popular suggestion. You know what, I will consider it. For the meantime, please enjoy this chapter!

_**AN: What, you are still here? Man, what do I have to do to get you guys reading? Come on, chop-chop! **_

_**(At the cafeteria of NKCI yesterday after school)**_

Yzak did not like this at all. Firstly, Tanaka was back with a new jerky demeanor. Secondly, his former subordinate Shiho Hahnenfuss came to earth at such a random time. Thirdly, Tanaka forced Crot to sit next to Stellar since she spread good influence where as he had Shiho next to him instead. Lastly, Shiho told the Duel pilot to meet her in the cafeteria after school. And at this moment, that was where he was -along with Dearka, Kira, Athrun, and the rest. He was enjoying a carton of chocolate milk, and as soon as he was done he popped a Halls Frost Breaker into his mouth to enjoy the citrus, frosty flavour.

For once in eternity, Yzak was persuaded to buy products due to a commercial. Then again, it was quite rare for advertisements to announce that their products could cure infertility.

It wasn't long before Yzak lost his cool and patience. "That's it!" he shouted loudly and startled poor Stellar from her seat. She really didn't like it when the Duel pilot did that. The rest of them merely moved their heads up from their previous activities –which was more or less talking. "Where the hell is she? She told me to meet her here and now she is nowhere to be seen! What is this trickery? No, why the hell am I wasting my time here?"

The Justice pilot groaned. He was quite drained from the day as he was, and Yzak's infernal outrage wasn't the best medicine. "At least we are suffering with you," said Athrun as he took Cagalli's carton of milk before she got a chance to take a sip. The Orb princess quickly snatched it back and swallowed the remains so her admirer wouldn't steal any more of it.

"That helps," Yzak stated dryly.

"What can you expect? You told us to come despite we may have our own lives to attend to, and we came as ordered. You can't expect that much." That resulted in a small whack in the gut.

"Athrun!" scolded Cagalli, "That is rude! How could you say that to your friend when all he wants is some company?" Did she just sound like Lacus and Stellar just now? She certainly did. Those two girls must've blessed her with a touch of gentleness, but at the same time, that sock did kind of hurt.

"For your information," Yzak intervened despite being defended by Cagalli. "It just sucks waiting all alone. I can live without your lovey-dovey, caring presence."

Cagalli immediately stood up from her spot, somewhat offended –but not to the point she would use violence. "Fine then, we will leave."

Someone immediately caught her. "Oh, no, you won't," Kira declared before pushing Cagalli's shoulders downward so she would sit down. "Remember, you were the one that volunteered us to stay. Besides… I want to know this Shiho person."

"Don't tell me you are trying to hit on her instead of Lacus now, Yamato," Crot commented with a sneer. Stellar just giggled along when Kira's face flushed with embarrassment. Lacus wisely turned away so Kira would receive all the unnecessary attention, and the Freedom pilot obviously knew the songstress was trying to avoid being seen.

"What are you talking about, baka!" Kira yelled as he threw Cagalli's carton of unfinished chocolate milk at the Raider pilot. The Orb princess gaped when she noticed there were still contents in there, and Kira sort of noticed after he threw it. And yes, the Freedom pilot truly knew his mistake when Crot was soaked with chocolate milk, and some of it even fell on Stellar's shoulder.

Although the Gaia pilot wasn't mad, the Raider pilot was furious.

"Bastard…" hissed the male Natural Extended dangerously, "What the hell did you think you were doing…"

"Oops?" Kira asked, detecting the unholy aura emitting from him. "I'm sorry… it was an accident!" As if he would ever get away with that… he knew he was a goner when he saw Crot's hostile blue eyes.

Crot's rage did not subside. "You did it on purpose!"

"I- I don't know… maybe I accidentally did it on purpose…" Athrun, Dearka, and Yzak knew Kira was in for it now. Surely, it wasn't the greatest response for the victim to hear.

"Accident my ass!" screamed Crot as he leaped off his seat and dashed at Kira. "I will show you accident!" Even with Kira's perfect Coordinator skills, he couldn't dodge the fist that struck his cheek. Rather, he might've been able to evade it if he wasn't so shocked and scared. In the end, Kira was on the floor for the second time that day. Once was due to Lacus' slap, and now this.

As the Raider pilot continued his onslaught and chases on the Freedom pilot, the rest of the gang –including Lacus- sighed in unison. They watched Kira running past the vending machines, then around some of the benches, jumping on the stage before leaping off it… and wherever he went Crot was less than a meter behind him.

"Shouldn't we help him?" asked Stellar despite she was still sitting at her spot, cleaning her shoulder from the sweet liquid, "I mean, sempai could be rough at times…"

"Kira had gone through much worse than this," commented Dearka with Miriallia observing the amusing display around them. "He will be fine." Did the Buster pilot ever consider he was overrating Kira's capabilities? He would be lying if he said yes.

"Crot is pretty fast…" remarked Cagalli, who was not taking action since Kira destroyed her time to enjoy chocolate milk. Why must everyone be against her when all she wanted was a time to enjoy sweet things –or delicious things in general-, they could be so mean. "So close…"

"You aren't really helping Kira by sitting here," said Athrun to Cagalli as Kira whizzed by him with Crot running after the brown haired coordinator like a frenzied beast. The Justice pilot received the look. What did he do now?

"Who's being the hypocrite?" the Orb princess countered victoriously. "Look at you, you are still on you butt not doing a thing. Admit it, Athrun-chan, you like watching Kira in dismay." The blue haired coordinator jerked back slightly, how could she say such a thing about him? Did he enjoy watching Kira in trouble? Of course not! Although it was funny, amusing, entertaining, youthfully energetic, exciting… okay, maybe he did like it to a degree.

"I got you!" shouted Crot with dark delight as he raised his fist before dashing quicker than before. Just then, the cafeteria door opened as Kira went passed it. In other words, Crot was on the other side before slamming himself cleanly at it. Needless to say, the Raider pilot stopped as he fell awkwardly onto the floor nearly unconscious. Kira turned around while panting, he was saved, he was truly saved! He must thank the person who opened the door at that sort of timing, but he gasped noticeably when the person was no other than Shiho Hahnenfuss.

"What happened?" she asked with a stoic expression that rivaled Shani Andras. The black haired Coordinator lady looked at the ground, her eyes narrowed when she saw an unconscious Crot Buer. She wanted to laugh, but at the same time, her usual calmness took the better of her. "Why is he…"

"Sempai!" Stellar squealed worriedly when she rushed to his side before resting his head onto her lap. Shiho and Kira -and pretty much everyone else- watched this dramatic scene. "Sempai, sempai, are you okay? Say something, please…"

"Stellar…" groaned Crot wearily, "Stellar-chan…"

"Sempai…"

"Before I go…" he coughed midway, "Do something for me…"

"Anything, sempai…" she was on a verge of tears.

"Kill… Yamato…" Those were his last words before he fell into a state of unconsciousness. It was that moment when Shiho laughed out loud.

"I'm really sorry for this…" the black haired Coordinator said, "did I hit him that hard?"

"Shiho!" Yzak yelled from 10 meters away, "Here!"

"Don't be so impatient now, Yzak," said Shiho as she lifted the unconscious Crot with Stellar before dragging the Extended back to the gang, "I was going as fast as I can."

From her movements, she seemed to be taking her time. So much for fast, she was sluggish –intentionally. "Well, you told me to meet here and I don't like to wait." Shiho merely gave Yzak a small stare where as the group smiled at her as a welcome. The coordinator lady smiled back lightly, it appeared that smiling wasn't her strongest trait –she was like Shani, as Stellar would suggest. To the very least, Shiho did attempt to feel welcomed.

"If you do want to know why I am down here, you should wait for as long as you need to." That made Yzak scoff mockingly.

"Listen, just because you were my subordinate in the last missions during the war, it doesn't mean we really know each other, and in other words, I don't need to be all friendly and nice. You tell me what I need to know, and then it's all over with. You will go back to wherever you need to go, and I will live out the life that I want to live out. So, without further adieu, please state your purpose so we don't need to see another ever again." Dearka sighed with exasperation when he heard Yzak's long speech, and the Justice pilot shook his head repeatedly to express his irritation. Shiho covered her mouth with her hand amusedly, she was certain that Yzak would flip when she told him the news.

"I wish it was that simple," began Shiho, her hand was on her hip, "But it is a long story. Long story short, I was ordered to come down here by your mother." Kira, Athrun, Dearka suddenly howled with laughter for an unknown reason. When Cagalli, Miriallia, and Lacus flashed them a weird look -for the sake of their own image- they stopped. Yzak looked like he suffered from a stroke.

"My mother?" he gasped through multiple of breaths. "What the hell…"

"Yes," Shiho said all giddily and happy, "Your mother, Yzak. She was concerned over your safety down here, you know, the Coordinator prejudice that some or most of these Naturals still have. She has sent me to look out for you to see if you have been doing anything stupid. You do know you are like a Coordinator prince in PLANT being Ezaria Jule's only son, just like Athrun Zala-kun here, and she can't let you wandering all alone like this."

Yzak was not pleased to hear this section of her explanation already. "So by relinquishing my freedom… I am going to be shackled to you? What sort of sick joke is this! You don't see Zala being binded like a victim of a web!" Shiho had to give him enough praise for his metaphor. Athrun winced and shivered just by picturing himself being tied to some random stranger that he didn't know. However, if that was Cagalli, that would be another story entirely. Shiho was utmost fascinating, the Justice pilot seriously thought that way –but Cagalli noticed he was staring at the newcomer a tad too long.

The outcome of it was the Orb princess forcefully turned his head so he would be staring at her instead. That victorious, proud grin never left her face.

"As much as I hate to say it, Yzak," replied Shiho, "Patrick Zala is dead, and no one has the right to tell Athrun Zala what to do." If she said no one gave a damn about what Athrun's future, she was very sure that her words would hurt the blue haired Coordinator in the emotional department. Unlike some people, Shiho was very vigilant about her surroundings. The Duel pilot just mumbled after hearing her justification, why couldn't his mother leave him alone for a while when he was just starting to enjoy this new life? Talk about a pain in the ass.

To everyone's surprise, Lacus was the next to speak.

"So, Shiho-san, you are going to stay with us, too, right?" Happy as usual, as Kira would say. She was just so easy to satisfy at times. "You will be looking after Yzak, right? Oh, now Yzak would have more company… I feel really bad not spending enough time with all my friends." Cagalli and Miriallia nodded to concur, but when they thought about what Lacus just said, they looked at another in confusion.

"You make me sound like I am his babysitter," Shiho said in a laugh despite Yzak's discomfort, "Well, I am not really one, nor am I a bodyguard. I am sure Yzak can handle himself better than I can, he is a Gundam pilot after all."

Dearka decided to step in, "Yeah, at getting owned." Athrun and Kira laughed along with him although the Duel pilot was on a verge of eliminating them both forcefully –and most importantly painfully. This was his former comrade; he didn't need his 'friends' to mess up his status as Commander more than it already was. Shiho, to Yzak's surprise, only chuckled instead of mock laughing.

"Where will you being staying though, Shiho?" Cagalli inquired curiously, "You do need to stay near Yzak after all, right?" Shiho then took out a card from her wallet before reading it.

"Judging from what Yzak's address is, I can safely say that my place is fairly close by. I live in your apartment, in room 103." Everyone's eyes widened –except Crot since he was still sleeping peacefully on Stellar's lap. They didn't believe this at all, they had a new neighbour that came yesterday –or at least they thought it might have been yesterday- and they did not even notice during the entire day. Were they that trapped in their own duties to neglect such a fact?

"When did you move in though?" asked Miriallia.

"We didn't see you at all," added Stellar in agreement, "Was coming here that much of a secret?"

"No, not really," replied Shiho, shaking it off, "I suppose the time period in PLANT is a little different than it is on earth. I actually came this morning, and I needed to see if Yzak is in this school and also to check if he's doing okay. I would've come tomorrow but I suppose seeing that Yzak is enjoying himself relieves me, you all know his mother would like to see her son in one piece."

"Agreed, agreed," that was the reply that came from her new acquaintances except for Yzak.

Yzak was undoubtedly bitter about this entire thing from the start, he was seventeen, he did not need this sort of treatment. What was his mother thinking, sending this girl was a deliberate statement to insult his intelligence and independent abilities. In addition, he was someone who had the potential to be a Commander, and now a woman would stalk him? It didn't matter if she was gorgeous or ugly; the bottom was that the Duel pilot did not need this in any possible means. "So… that is why Mother ordered you to be… here?"

"Yes." That was simple indeed.

"What are you supposed to be, my… irritating bystander who can't live without putting your face in my business?" the gray haired Coordinator pressed on with an attitude. Shiho was suddenly feeling a bit uncomfortable. Her uneasiness became his strength.

"No… Yzak, that's not…" Deakra, Kira, and Athrun quickly noted the girl's discomfort.

The Duel pilot was not done with her yet. "Why did you take on the job, Shiho? Because Mother told you to? Was it because you get a lot of money if you take on this role? Any normal person would not simply come to a Coordinator Hunting Ground just for some lame task of checking if I am living okay." Each blow was significant - Lacus and Cagalli did not fully know how upset Yzak was when he heard that Shiho's true reasons of being here. Now thinking back, Yzak actually seemed happy being down here despite how much he hated to admit it, and this whole issue of shackling his freedom had revived some of his hurtful attributes during the war. "Shiho, I don't want you near me like this, you are invading through my private space. You are better off going back to PLANT and receive some more pointless orders instead of wasting your time trying to see if I am fine."

"Yzak…"

The Duel pilot grunted before yanking out a small booklet and a pen and started to write, "Let's do another a favour and deal with this. You know what, Mother wants to know if I am okay, right? Okay, I will just write that I am fine, life is great, there are plenty of hot chicks, and I have done it with a few of them to see if losing your virginity is actually good to experience. You know what, you can even make up some things like having sex was great, especially those one-night stands where you can just do it with anybody. What else… I will tell her that this mission is useless, and it won't be necessary to send down any more fools to look out for me. Sincerely, Yzak Jule." He then tore the paper and slipped it in her chest pocket. Shiho wanted to blush when Yzak's hand brushed over her breasts, but luckily, no one noticed it. She appeared confused when Yzak even took out a checkbook; he wrote several scribbles on it before ripping it and handed it to her.

"What's this?" questioned Shiho. Stellar and Lacus wondered what that was for, and at the same time, they could detect that the coordinator lady was threatening to cry.

The Duel pilot did not hesitate at all to answer. In fact, he was delighted to elaborate. "Money that you pointlessly spent to come down here, and there should be enough for you to go back. See, this entire trip was useless, and when you go back to PLANT, tell Mother that I am fine and also tell her not to send anyone else down here. See, Shiho, why did you waste your time comin-"

Slap.

Gasps were heard from everyone. Yzak held the spot that was slapped with stun, he didn't believe that he was slapped. Him, Yzak Jule, got slapped! Kira did not laugh, neither did Athrun and Dearka. In fact, they simply stood there with awe, wondering why Shiho slapped their friend. Kira jerked when he saw Shiho's expression, he never believed it until he saw it –stoic girls did cry. She was actually crying, tears flowed down endlessly, and it did not look like any sort of act. What troubled her this badly, they did not understand.

"You just don't get it, do you!" Shiho shouted angrily with her voice choking slightly due to her sadness, "Why are you so dense and stupid!" With that said, Shiho –in a fashion that resembled anything but confidence and firmness- turned around before running out of the cafeteria. Needless to say, her heart was shattered, yet the Duel pilot and everyone else did not realize what caused her to be like this. Kira looked over to Lacus; his heart sank when the cheerful songstress for once was out of ideas. Athrun held Cagalli closer, he too pitied that newcomer for experiencing such devastation despite he did not know what that truly was.

Something was amiss, it didn't take a genius to figure that much.

"Yzak…" Dearka first spoke with disappointment plastering his voice, "What did you do?"

The Duel pilot was equally lost, but when he felt being accused, he countered back, "How would I know! I thought I was doing her a favour for going back to PLANT. All I did was give her back some money that she pointlessly wasted, what was wrong with that?" That statement didn't sound like it had any holes, but that still didn't explain why Shiho ran off crying.

Lacus was the next to talk, "Yzak… may I ask you something?" Who was Yzak to refuse now? "Who is Shiho to you?" Just what kind of question was that? The songstress made it sound like as if Yzak knew her all his life. Reality check, Shiho was nothing more than a subordinate who showed amazing promise on the battlefield, that was all. No more, no less. When Yzak replied with what he knew, that still did not solve this current mystery.

"Do you think Shiho is upset because Yzak declined her service?" asked Cagalli, hoping that her question would help. Athrun shook his head first, and the Orb princess did not appreciate how he argued with her logic like that without giving a justifiable reason. "And why not, Athrun?"

"If their relation is nothing more than leader and follower… she wouldn't react this way," Athrun told her and everyone else who was listening. "Think of it this way… Cagalli hires me as her bodyguard. I try to suck up to her but she notices it and tells me that there is no need for it. How should I be reacting? One, I apologize and drop the act. Two, I did what Shiho did and cry about it." After this example was brought up, Athrun did make sense at proving his thesis. "Yzak, is there something about Shiho that you're not telling us about? You did say something about doing chicks… did you take her virginity away without telling any of us?"

Yzak was deadly outraged.

He immediately gaped at Athrun, "You bastard! Can't you tell the difference between realism and sarcasm? I was kidding! Kidding, damn you! I won't waste my virginity on hookers, Zala, never in this goddamn lifetime!" The green eyed coordinator had to use his hands as a shield so Yzak's spit would not strike his face, he was disgusted at how wet his palms become, and Cagalli quickly shifted away from him not wanting any part of the spit.

_Damn that Yzak…_

"Should we talk to her afterwards?" suggested Stellar supportively while cradling Crot's head and running her fingers through his orange hair. She was just so loving to everyone. "I mean, talk to Shiho-san…"

Miriallia sighed a little before standing up to stretch, "Let's do it when she calms down, okay?" Sadly enough, they had to agree. "And we better make sure Yzak-kun here is the person to talk to her afterwards." She then even gripped on to Yzak's shoulder so he wouldn't escape so quickly. "If Shiho-san does not show any sights of being happy… Dearka will…"

The Buster pilot jolted. "Hey, Miriallia, why do I have to-"

"Fine…" groaned the Duel pilot, "I'll talk to her when she cools off, okay?" Yzak was finally able to drop this subject when the girls nodded in unison. Since when did he need their permission to do whatever he wanted? Then again, when it came to relationship problems, who was he to decide when he knew absolutely nothing about women?

This was going to be one hell of a day –Yzak could feel it to the bone.

_**(Present Day, at Athrun's apartment)**_

"I'm bored…" whined the Orb princess in Athrun's lap. She even starting to pound with her fists to further explain her boredom, "I'm bored, I'm bored, I'm bored…" The Justice pilot tried hard to ignore her adorable protests, yet he found it immensely difficult when he felt her right fist striking an area near his groin. Curse her for lying on him.

"You gotta stop that…" Athrun told her in a choke.

"Stop what?" she questioned innocently. "You mean this?" Athrun winced when her fist hit that area again.

"Yeah…"

"I'm just helping you massage it, Athrun Zala," Cagalli told him, as if her reasons were purely justifiable and correct, "There won't be any other woman who is going to do that for you." The dark haired Coordinator did not know if Cagalli was that innocent or was she simply oblivious. Whatever it was, it was getting him aroused. Come on, getting his private areas with sensitive brushes was something difficult to ignore.

"Cagalli…"

"I'm bored!" she whined loudly, and much to his disbelief, she practically slammed her fists directly at his groin. Instead of feeling aroused, a painful gasp escaped the Justice pilot before he curled up in the most pathetic fashion that she had seen him. Athrun first looked stunned, and soon his hands went on his abdomen, and lastly, he made himself as small as possible without moving his legs and fell to the side. What made Cagalli blush deeply was because his head landed on her rear end, she wanted to yell and fidget but she found it surprisingly comfortable. In other words, she didn't protest –much.

"Ouch…"

"Athrun!" Cagalli screeched while shaking her body to signal him a message, "You are leaning on my butt! Don't touch there! Get off, get off, get off!" Unknown to the blond twin, Athrun was actually smiling although his cheek was making full contact with her rear.

"Why? It feels good." That was sufficient to make her rage surface.

Cagalli immediately got herself off the bed –her cheeks were burning a deep scarlet. The Justice pilot watched her with amusement as she took each breath of air with much force and strength. She was so endearing to him, yet he chose to keep it quiet. "Why you, pervert!" Cagalli yelled as she raised her foot a little about ground level. It didn't take a genius to figure out what she was plotting. "Eat foot, Athrun!"

With his swift Coordinator skills, Athrun easily caught her foot using his right hand when she attempted to smash it in his face. The Justice pilot grinned happily when he noticed what sort of position they were in. He was lying on the bed –still in pain- and Cagalli raised and extended her foot high towards him. In other words, he was having a very nice view of her nearly developed body. The princess wouldn't have caught this not-so-innocent position if it weren't for his too-knowing grin.

"Wow…" the blue haired Coordinator whispered in awe when he admired her body. At the same time, his left hand began to crept on her caught foot. Athrun almost wished that she wasn't wearing any socks.

"Zala!" she screamed to the top of her lungs when his fingers started their operation/mission, "Don't you dare!"

"So, Cagalli is ticklish."

She could not hold in her laughter for much longer, yet she had too much pride to simply let it all out as if it was natural. In order to prevent it from getting out she had one option –collapse on the Coordinator. Putting more force into her left foot, she instantly attempted to make a small leap. Athrun stopped whatever he was doing when she saw her jump and he more or less wanted to yell when Cagalli forcefully fell on him. In reality, it didn't hurt much when she made contact with him (not when her breasts were seductively brushing on his chest) but that was not the case when her knee jammed itself in his stomach.

"Gomen…" Cagalli apologized in a moan –which nearly made Athrun insane. Her face was still plastered with that lovable crimson, how could he not adore it? "But I don't like being tickled…"

"You're heavy…" groaned the Justice pilot while coughing. Again, Cagalli took it the wrong way.

"Are you saying that I am fat, Athrun?"

"No…" he told her along with a weak, sincere grimace. When he did that, she knew he wasn't lying to her –he was serious. "My body hurts…"

"Where?" she asked but she still wasn't getting off yet. Part of it was because she found it very comfortable being on him despite she would not admit it out loud, and secondly it was because their entanglement was quite awkward and messy.

"Your knee is crushing my abdomen… it hurts…" Cagalli didn't need to reconsider her thinking when she leaped off him immediately. Unfortunately, she used a tad too much force in her thrust. Therefore, Athrun only experienced more torment and agony but he was too lenient towards his beautiful princess. His heart felt warm when Cagalli appeared to be concerned.

"Are you okay?" she asked him as she rushed to his side with concern all around her actions.

"I'll be fine, Cagalli."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry." Cagalli didn't look convinced though. "Cagalli, I am really fine."

"Why did you lean on my butt earlier?" she immediately asked him, her previous concerns forgotten in less than a flash. The Justice pilot was taken quite aback when she suddenly asked that sort of question. He did have a several options; one, tell her that her butt felt great; two, say it was an accident; or three, pretend nothing happened. If logic were his primary attribute at that hour, he would've told her the 'good' truth. Instead, it was one of those days were silliness was mandatory.

"What's wrong with your butt?" he replied in a questioning form, "It was so supple and soft… It was one of the softest-"

Smack.

"Pervert!" she yelled at him forcefully. One would believe that she was furious, but her face was speaking otherwise due to constant blushing. "You like my butt because it's soft? What's next, Zala, my breasts?"

"It's hard to say," he told her while nodding his head and staring at her chest deliberately, "It's fairly difficult for me to find anything there right now."

Athrun earned another good punch in the arm.

"Are you saying that I don't have breasts? Just because my haircut is like a boy and Kira even thought I was a boy doesn't mean that I have a body like a guy! I have breasts, you just can't see it because of this jacket! I will show you!" Athrun's dreams were becoming reality when Cagalli was actually pulling down her zipper to reveal a white T-shirt underneath. He had dreamed this for quite a while now, but he was somewhat expecting her to be in that thin red T-shirt instead because he was certain that she didn't wear a bra when she wore that. Much to his disbelief, his hands overlapped hers and halted her from whatever she was doing.

His mind said yes but his mouth contradicted his desires.

"I believe you," he said as his mind continued to scold himself, "I don't need proof." Cagalli smiled warmly when he said that, yet Inner Athrun was weeping a waterfall of tears. Cagalli wanting to take off her clothes was a chance that happened once in a lifetime, and she was doing it willingly! He couldn't believe that he said 'I believe you'! Compared to Michael Jackson's face… his decision was ten times more messed up!

"I'm glad you aren't that bad, Athrun," she told him as she kissed him on the forehead. Was she kidding? Did she have any idea how badly the Justice pilot wanted to see her clothes removed? He was this close; it was so hard being a guy at times despite he never had PMS or ever having a need to be bitchy. How could guys be a bitch anyway?

"I know…"

"Athrun…" It was back to her whiny mode once again. "Athrun…" She just loved moaning his name.

"What is it, Cagalli?" he inquired as his arms pulled her in closer.

"I'm still bored." She was so spoiled in front of him, and that was something he learned to cherish.

"What do you want to do then?" he asked as he took the liberty to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking you."

The Justice pilot pondered for a second, "You could play some games with Crot or something."

"Stellar took Crot to the doctors so he could get some patches or stitches on his forehead wound, remember?" Athrun smacked himself for forgetting what Crot talked to him about an hour ago. So games were out of the question, what else could they do now? "Do you think Yzak and Shiho are working things out?"

"Doubt it." Cagalli's response was strikingly sharp.

"What makes you say that?"

"After hanging around him for two weeks… you can predict what he is going to do."

Athrun didn't think so just yet. It wasn't like he had much faith in Yzak to comfort Shiho up, but Lacus was quite persistent in making things better between the two Coordinator –where as she should be more concerned about her own love life problems. The pink haired songstress was always such a kind soul. "I don't think Yzak would be able to sit down calmly without consulting Shiho… I mean, Lacus was serious."

"Maybe… do you think we should bring them closer together?"

"What?"

"Yzak and Shiho-san, of course."

"Why would we want to do that?" he eyed her queerly while he questioned her ambitions. In all honesty, Athrun thought it was absurd that he would be considering the choice to enter someone else's business. "This is Yzak's problem here, why should we get our butts involved?"

"Yzak is your friend, right?" Cagalli inquired as she batted her eyes. Her bold, golden orbs were extremely charming, as if a hidden spell was in them somehow. Athrun nodded slowly –more or less dumbly. "Well, it's a good thing to help friends closer because that's what friends do."

"You have been hanging with Stellar and Lacus too much, Cagalli," commented the Justice pilot as he kissed her on the cheek, "You know that?"

"I guess influence is a powerful tool, ne? The people you hang out with represent who you are, I suppose. Most friends do have a common interest despite being different because friends do think alike."

"Since when were you psychological?"

"Family Studies," she answered him bluntly with a slight victorious smirk in the middle of her sentence.

The dark haired coordinator smiled at her unique charm, "What do you plan on doing then, Cagalli?"

To his surprise, the Orb princess was quick with her answer. "I want to try cooking." Athrun's eyes bulged out for a moment there before they miraculously returned to normal. Was she for real? That was at least the third time that she got him off guard today. Cagalli frowned teasingly when Athrun did not display anything other than confusion and uncertainty. More or less, it wasn't the emotional and spiritual support that she first anticipated for she expected much more. "Come on, it would be fun!"

"Would it?" questioned the Justice pilot, using his eye to scan her beautiful visage, "First things first… do you even know how to cook?"

The Strike Rouge pilot decided to answer indirectly, "I can always start learning now." Athrun gave her a look, and Cagalli felt herself flush up more.

"You don't know, do you?"

_That was considerably blunt._

"Oh, don't say that, Athrun," she argued, and her body moved itself an inch closer to feel his warmth, "I am a dedicated learner." His response was blinking. Long story short, he didn't believe what he was hearing. It wasn't long until she started pleading using physical actions. "Come on, Athrun, it will be fun! I swear on it."

"I…"

"I am going to cook and that is final! I am going to gather everyone tonight and have a dinner that no one is ever going to forget. Lacus did it, and so can I! Who says Cagalli Yula Attha is all classy and being served by servants all the time? I can cook, and I can do other stuff, too!" Athrun was quite amazed; he was so shocked that words failed to pronounce properly on his tongue.

"I am sure you can…"

Somehow, Athrun believed that encouraging Cagalli to perform experiments was not the brightest thing that he had done in his seventeen to eighteen years of living. Before he could even make any protests Cagalli kissed him again before making her way to the supermarkets. Why did she have to be so brash and spontaneous? How did she make up plans right on the spot like that without preparing anything in advance? In some cases, that might be an advantageous factor, but at the same time, it could be dangerous.

With someone not knowing how to cook, the Justice pilot wondered if she should stop her now before it was too late. However, seeing all that zeal in her eyes made it quite difficult for him to ruin her fun. Then again, he was jeopardizing everyone's chances of living. The theories Utilitarianism kicked in the back of his mind –what was the best way to gain the greatest amount of happiness? Stop Cagalli for the sake of his friends being all well and healthy; or just allow his angel to do whatever and risk having everyone –including himself- to find another powerful reason in life to commit suicide. Laws of utilitarianism did prefer to save friends, but his heart chose to stick with Cagalli.

This was something that was worth regretting.

**_(At this instant in Shiho's Apartment)_**

The Duel pilot did not understand why he was doing this –especially when his heart had no desire whatsoever to make things better. He was in front of Shiho's door with nothing in his hand to show any sort of remorse or guilt, yet he was here trying to reconcile. Rather, if Lacus didn't plead him to go he would've never took the initiative to make things better. He was only doing this since Lacus was his childhood friend –their parents were part of PLANT's highest councils after all, and they had met another- for anyone else was not powerful enough to change his judgments.

At long last –after spending 5 minutes considering if he should knock on her door- Yzak finally tapped her door a several times.

The grayed haired Coordinator almost jolted when the door flinged open in an instant. The person behind it was of course Shiho Hahnensfuss –and she did not look pleased.

"Hello…" greeted Yzak dumbly. He really didn't know what to say despite he knew he had to do something.

"Oh," she said, making a cough, "It's you."

"How are you?" That was one sentence that rarely escaped his lips. Yzak was seriously not a very social person even though he was a Captain.

"Why do you care?" she retorted as she was about to slam the door shut on him, "You were having quite a bit of fun while hurting my feelings. You are a cold-blooded bastard, Yzak Jule." Just before the door was about to close, the Duel pilot put his foot in between the gap to prevent it from shutting. He winced a little but Shiho could've cared less. Instead, she gave him a warning. "You better move your foot now, I have no hesitation to break it off so I can shut this door."

Yzak was seriously shocked at her words, yet he didn't reveal his emotions. "Damn, what the hell did I do to deserve this? Why are you calling me cold-blooded?"

"Like you're not?" she immediately countered angrily, "You have sex with random bitch trash, and now you give me money like some kind of hooker because you had enough of it? What am I to you, an object? I am at least your subordinate… I can't believe I am being treated this way by my Captain!"

"If you care to listen to me, you would've known that I didn't waste myself with random bitch trash. I was just kidding about it so I don't need you to pointlessly waste your time hanging around here for my sake. And that money, it's to compensate for the unnecessary things that you have done to come down here, not because I think you are a hooker. I know you are not that kind of person."

"Touching…" Shiho told him, obviously she was not convinced. At the same time, Yzak took this advantage and made his way in before shutting the door behind him. The black haired Coordinator lady gulped when she let her guard down, but Yzak failed to notice it. "I didn't invite you in," she ordered in a hiss, "I want you to get out."

She needed to do a lot more to get him to obey her commands, "Not until I know why you slapped me and cried. I want to know what I did to upset you." Shiho was somewhat bewildered to see that he was actually caring. He certainly wasn't like this when she saw him two to three weeks ago. How did he change within such a short amount of time? Then again, Yzak was still quite the arrogant bastard with a potty mouth.

"You want to know why?"

"Yeah…"

"Is anyone outside?" That question made Yzak look at her confusedly. What kind of inquiry was that?

Seeing that there were no catches or problems with her question, Yzak decided to answer. "No…"

"Good. You want to come in and talk things out over a cup of tea or something?"

"I'm already in… I might as well." Yzak said as he took off his shoes before making way to the already finished living-room. The duo sat down on the couch in dead silence but the Duel pilot saw something different about her at that moment. Her cheeks… was she blushing? What in blazes was going on here? If it was anything that made him nervous, it had to be a woman's blush because that made them completely unpredictable. "Shiho…"

"What?" she asked him as she raised her head, as if she was trying to hide her flushed cheeks.

"Why this privacy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why did you make sure that no one else is out there? Is there something that you don't want them to know?" He didn't believe it when she nodded despite he knew she was speaking the truth. "What is it then?"

"Yzak…" she whispered nervously, "Although everyone is going to know eventually… I think I should tell you first." The Duel pilot was beginning to feel edgy –not to mention anxious.

"Well? I'm listening…"

"I'm not here as someone who is sent by Ezaria Jule to see if you are okay on earth…" Yzak was considerably bewildered at this point. "I am more than that, Yzak…"

"More than what? What are you trying to say, Shiho?"

"Yzak… your mother… she… Yzak, I am your fiancée."

At that moment, that precise second, the Duel pilot's heart stopping beating before breaking into thousands of irreparable shards.

**_(Meanwhile, at PLANT central park district)_**

"Shani…" moaned Lunamaria as she pushed herself a little closer to him, "Answer me… do you like me?" How was he supposed to answer her? If anyone was around –which they weren't- Shani would have an excuse saying that they should be discussing this in private. However, they were alone –dead alone with no means to escape. Both answers meant death, he knew it.

"Lunamaria…" said Shani, trying to get some strength and authority back. "How can I give you a good response like this?"

"You want to settle this discussion somewhere else? Anywhere more private is fine." The Forbidden pilot swallowed hard at her request, he knew that phrase contained no innocence no matter which corner he searched. He was a rookie with women, but he was no idiot. Regardless of what, he needed to stand his ground. As Lunamaria's hand held his tighter, she miraculously pulled him in with skill. She blushed a little when Shani's face flushed up, she loved to see him more vulnerable than a mature Lieutenant.

"Lunamaria…" said Shani as he shifted himself a little better to create a better impression than cowering in front of her. "Lunamaria, don't be like this, okay?"

"You're warm…" the magenta haired coordinator reasoned sweetly as her hand played with his. "But, can I still hold your hand?" Seeing her so eager and happy to be so affectionate, Shani did not have the heart to simply take it away from her. The Forbidden pilot's heart warmed up when he saw her smile, it really tempted him to take her hand into his, yet he remembered that he had something to tell her.

"Lunamaria, about your question…" he said a little farfetched. In fact, he didn't know where to start this entire thing. Shani needed to know the art of improvising now–although he had never acted once in his life. His confidence level lowered further when he saw that hopeful expression on her face –so happy, so innocent, how could he say the things that were about to be said?

"Yes, Shani?" the coordinator girl inquired lovably. She was so close to kiss him, if she just leaned three centimeters closer, his cheek would belong to her soft lips. Lunamaria would be speaking lies if she told Shani that she didn't want to kiss him. Even if it was on the cheek, she was willing to do it.

The Forbidden pilot had to pull himself together, it was all or nothing. "I want to tell you that I don't hate you, Lunamaria-san," he said seriously. The coordinator lady only blinked a several times somewhat confusedly and innocently. Seconds later, her mouth formed a frown –a small frown.

"Shani… I know you don't hate me. However, what I really want to know is… do you like me?" She was sure persistent on this topic; it was his heart that she was trying to win here. Endurance and skill meant everything on these grounds. At the same time, she truly wanted to understand what his feelings about her were like.

"Do you want me to give you an honest answer?" the Forbidden pilot inquired with a demeanor that was identical to his teaching. Lunamaria blushed evidently when she saw his serious look because he was watching her very closely, as if he was admiring her looks. Shani's heart nearly stopped beating when he witnessed her beautiful timidity –in fact, nearly all things about her made him smile. Of course, he kept his emotions in tact for the time being. "Lunamaria-san, I…"

Surprisingly, the magenta haired coordinator interrupted, "You don't like me, do you?" she questioned hastily before Shani finished his sentence. From what he could gather at this instant, she looked rejected and dejected. At this point, what could he say?

Shani was just confused. "What are you saying?" After he announced that question, Shani wanted to punch himself for speaking such a retarded response. Luckily, Lunamaria didn't seem to mind –to the least, not yet.

"You like Stellar more than me, don't you, Shani Andras?" When she called him by his full name, the Forbidden pilot knew she was dead serious on this subject. The ZAFT Lieutenant needed to clear things up before this situation became something beyond repair.

"Lunamaria Hawke, listen for a second…" Much to his discomfort, she kept on going despite his reasoning.

"I know you like Stellar more than me… she is beautiful, very sexy, kind, gentle, supportive, loyal, she can dance, all guys would like her, she smiles a lot, she is your friend for like ever and ever… I can't compete with her!" Shani didn't know if he should be grimacing or grinning. However, he was quite bewildered to hear so many qualities of Stellar Louissier from Lunamaria –where she never met the Extended ever in her life except from pictures.

At last, Shani figured out how to approach his good friend. He first smiled understandingly to catch Lunamaria's attention. Once again, her cheeks flushed up. "Most of what you said are only physical attributes of Stellar, Lunamaria," Shani told her softly, "Do you know that?" Lunamaria obediently nodded adorably –in an involuntary fashion.

"But… I don't really know how to dance… I'm clumsy at times… I don't have big bright, pink, magenta eyes…"

"But you have a beautiful pair of blue ones," complimented Shani kindly, "What's wrong with them?"

Once more, Lunamaria felt her cheeks burn by his praising. "Oh, stop, Shani,"

"And let you put yourself down?" he questioned her knowingly before he purposely placed his right hand above her breasts so he would touch her heart. The girl thought she could faint when Shani's hand was so close to her forbidden areas. "I can't do that. Lunamaria Hawke, the most important thing is not what is based on the outside, you don't need to worry about these small things. The most important thing is what your heart believes in, and whether your intentions and ambitions are genuine. I think you're great as a friend, I think your eyes are perfect, your magenta hair is so unique, and you yourself as a person is perfect the way you are. It doesn't matter at all if you can't dance; I am not that great at some things either. It is not an issue with me if you are clumsy… even though that made me grope your breasts… your skirt… so short and pink…"

He was getting aroused just watching her sitting form. Damn those hormones, why were they reacting when he needed to keep a supportive yet relaxed face?

Lunamaria raised her eyebrows when Shani was stuttering all of a sudden. In all honesty, Shani rarely choked on words. She was actually somewhat amused. "Shani, you're drooling…" When the ZAFT Lieutenant heard it, Lunamaria saw him shake for a second in a very embarrassed way. She then laughed to make him feel more awkward.

"Gomen, gomen!" apologized Shani hurriedly, "I… I… I was…"

"Fantasizing about me?" she told in a form of a question. Also, she did it in such a flattered way to make Shani blush slightly. "Oh, I am so honoured." She sounded ever so sincere –Shani would not believe that she was lying at that moment.

He desperately needed to justify himself or he would really be a pervert in her eyes forever. With his past history of touching her fully, any –present or future- mess-ups were definitely not advantageous. To express his desperation further, he even had his hands moving defensively. "Lunamaria… it's not what you think! Honest!" He experienced all sort of dread when the Coordinator lady moved in a several inches closer with a very knowing smile on her face. To a degree, it was considered seductive. "Hey… stop… Lunamaria…"

For obvious reasons, she wasn't stopping, "Oh, Shani, why stop?" she began with a very sweet voice, "I don't think I am misunderstanding anything." Without him knowing, her arms already caught him in a light embrace. To increase the warmth, all she needed to do was lean in. "I know you like me." Those words penetrated all sorts of emotional barricades and defences that he was trying to support himself with. The girl was so close to him right now that Shani could take her lips and kiss it passionately. Lunamaria's scent smelled so pleasant, she was so sweet, and her breathing tickled his nose as well. How could anyone remain sane while being this close to her? In addition, that charming smile she carried was definitely something that was making his logic crack.

"Lunamaria…"

"Shani…" The Forbidden pilot was panicking inside when he noticed that she was moving in again. He could obviously detect her motives –she was trying to kiss him. Not on the cheek though, but on his lips. What should he do? What could he do? What other options were there? By the time he had his mind back on track, his right violet eye could see Lunamaria's face right in front of his. Her eyes were closed; she was expecting him to make the next move. Matters became worse for him when he could hear her heartbeat, and not to mention his own was pounding in coordination. "Take me…"

_Here goes nothing…_

It was a total miracle when his cellular phone started to ring. Therefore, the moment was ruined. At the same time, Shani did not fully know if he should feel disappointed for missing out such an opportunity or sigh in utter relief. Nonetheless, he had to deal with his phone first. After giving a small apology to Lunamaria, the green haired Extended squirmed out of their embrace before flipping the phone open to know who it was that interrupted their perfect moment.

Needless to say, Lunamaria did not seem to be quite delighted about this.

"Hello?" asked Shani a little impatiently, "Lieutenant-" He wasn't even done and the person on the other line already began his sentence. A lot of people liked to be interrupting these days around him, he wondered why.

"Shani, man, where are you right now?" The Forbidden pilot recognized that this was Heine.

"Outside… somewhere in town."

"Well, you better get your ass back here, Shani," Heine sounded like as if he was agitated. Shani only wanted to assume what was up with him, "Did you know that Captain Gladys and I need to talk to you about your tasks after the military academy graduation? It is very important."

Shani was not one bit pleased. "If it's that urgent, why didn't you find me on my phone earlier, baka? I am now in the middle of nowhere and you expect me to get my sorry ass back to base now? Get real, Heine, give me time on these things, okay?"

"I didn't think that we would need to call you since I sent Miss Hawke to look for you."

This was indeed unexpected. "Lunamaria?"

"Yeah, did she find you yet? She told me that she knew where you would go and show up, that's why I sent her out only. Aren't you fortunate to have such a beautiful, attractive, talented, and loyal girl on your side, Shani? Hey, you should be."

Heine's words weren't making him feel any better, "Don't get any ideas, Heine-bastard," Shani told him in a half-friendly half-serious tone of voice. "I'll head back to base immediately, okay?" Heine only allowed the nicknames of profanity to slide around his highest ranked comrades –namely Shiho and Shani.

"Just hurry, it is urgent." With that said, Heine hung up on him. That left the Lieutenant grimacing and cursing a several times. When Lunamaria saw him closing his phone, she got off the bench and took the liberty to wrap her arms around his right one naturally, as if she was supposed to. What made her move even more shocking to Shani was that she was doing it without any shame or feeling wrong, and at the same time, her breasts were in full contact with the back of his entire arm.

The coordinator girl watched her admirer for a several seconds and blinked innocently, "What's wrong, Shani?" Lunamaria's voice was so gentle and loving to his ears that he couldn't muster up an explainable reason to remain stoic and passive. She was too skilled at being genuinely affectionate.

"Lunamaria-san…" she hated him being so formal with her, "Was there a reason why you were out here tonight?" When that question was brought up, Lunamaria knew what Shani was referring to. Based on the subject that he was talking about earlier, she safely assumed that the caller was Heine.

"Yeah…" she admitted sheepishly.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Are you angry with me?"

"No, not really… I am just wondering why you didn't tell me before. It's not like you forgot."

She blushed before turning away so she could avoid eye contact for a short period of time. "Well, you know why…" Lunamaria soon played with his arm in every possible way to give him signs that she liked him, but it wasn't as if Shani didn't have an idea of her affection and feelings. For the first time, he made a move by poking her stomach area. She laughed right on the bat when his finger merely tapped her, and at that point Shani figured that she was extremely ticklish. "Stop it, Shani!" she protested helplessly as she continued to laugh uncontrollably. That amused the Forbidden pilot greatly, it was about time he found out some weaknesses about her.

Then again, Shani knew she would threaten to bite him if he didn't stop soon. Besides, he needed to return to base as soon as possible. "Shani… I will bite…" Once those several words escaped her lips, Shani quickly moved back before sprinting off towards the opposition direction. Lunamaria stared in disbelief when she found out that he was ditching her! "Shani Andras! You stop this instant!"

Although he did stop and turned around, she could clearly tell that he was going to run off in a matter of seconds, "Lunamaria Hawke!" he called back, "Race you back to base! Ha!" As if it was legitimate enough, Shani turned around before dashing away at top speed. Lunamaria was obviously not prepared.

It wasn't long before she started to chase him, "You come back here, Shani! Come back!" Despite that she sounded angry, her heart was rejoicing to the fullest.

_**(At Headquarters)**_

It was half an hour after the phone call that Shani came stumbling into Heine's office. The Faith member found it most entertaining when he got to see Shani's awful entrancing skills. Of course, since he was a leader and superior to the Forbidden pilot, he merely kept it to himself for the sake of solemnity. He didn't mind this time that Shani didn't knock or wait for his permission -since Heine could tell Shani ran all the way back here from who-knows-where.

After taking a several deep breaths to regain his energy, Heine decided to break the awkward silence, "How ungraceful of you to enter so ungracefully," said the Gouf Ignited pilot repeating the words ungracefully twice deliberately. "Maybe you should enter a kids show and make yourself into a slapstick humour specialist for the kids to laugh at."

"Spare me your suggestions," said Shani in a spat as he snatched a bottle of water that was conveniently on the coffee table before twisting it open, "What is this thing that is so important?"

"Aren't you in a hurry to get out of here?" commented Heine half sarcastically, but Shani caught all the teasing. It wasn't a difficult task to read this superior's eyes. "Is it about someone?"

"Don't start getting any ideas," the Forbidden pilot quickly budded in before his superior said any more.

"Fine."

"So tell me, what is this new assignment you got for me?"

"You do know about the graduation thing that is coming next week or so, right? Let me ask you this, how are the students?"

Shani was proud to say that his progress at ZAFT was quite smooth, "My students are great, I am sure that all of them will pass. Didn't you read my progress report, Heine?"

"That report goes to the Chairman and Captain Gladys, and it's not my concern to know how the academy students are doing in their training. Well, I would start my own lessons with them after they become rookies."

Shani had a question though. "Why does the Chairman need to look at my report? I mean, he is a political leader in PLANT, not a military executive." Heine was impressed with Shani's sharpness level. He really wasn't a Lieutenant for nothing.

"Its not like you don't know who you are, Shani," said Heine, a little sadly, "You are GATX-252 Gundam's pilot, you are a Natural, and we have to know if you are doing your job right. Although the Chairman does trust you, he needs to be very careful with you here. Sadly to say, your position is the easiest to be eliminate amongst any other soldiers within your rank or higher. As long as you do your best, you will be fine."

"Thanks for saying so."

"You still want to know what your new mission is, right?"

"Yeah, that's why I am here."

"Be prepared for it, okay?" When Heine got a recognition from Shani –which was a small nod- he continued. "Shani, your next task will take place after the graduation, I am sure your students wouldn't want their new instructor to simply go AWOL on them after being here for over a week. Besides, I am sure you are getting familiar with a several of them. Know what I mean?"

"Get out of here!" scolded the Forbidden pilot wanting to sock him in the arm. Unfortunately, he was out of range since he was sitting down on the couch. However, throwing things would be quite satisfying though. "Enough of your jokes about Lunamaria-san!"

"Fine, fine. Anyway, you would be curious to know that you would be leaving PLANT by around next week or so." That caught Shani's attention. In fact, it caught so much it that he stood up from his spot.

"What, am I fired all of a sudden?"

"Oh no, it's just that we need to transfer you to another place. I know it's quite soon, but you are the only person that I could think of… no, we could think of that would do it safely without anyone detecting." Heine was still not making any sense to Shani. In all honesty, Shani hoped that Heine would just get to the point like how Lunamaria and Meyrin always were in their conversations. "What I am trying to say is that we need you to return to earth."

This nearly got Shani to say "What the fuck".

Instead, the Lieutenant of ZAFT picked his words wisely, "Heine, what the hell are you talking about? I came up here for 7 or 9 days, and suddenly you are telling me that I need to return to Mother Earth? Dude, I got my own tolerance levels, don't provoke it to erupt in a volcanic fashion –in which you can't handle."

"Are you upset by this?"

"Not necessarily that delighted –unless you give me a very legitimate justification." Shani told him with utmost seriousness. He was not in a good mood to joke because this entire announcement sounded like one big sick joke. As far as Shani was concerned, travelling back and forth like that was extremely troublesome. "Why do you need me to go back to earth? Is it because I am a Natural?"

"That's part of it…" confessed Heine apologetically, "But at the same time, you do know earth more than any one of us since you have been living on it."

"That doesn't mean anything," the Forbidden pilot stated, almost making ridicule his words, "It is very difficult for me not to believe that you are sending me because I am a Natural. Also, I can say you guys are discriminating and differentiating me due to the fact that my genes aren't altered and played around."

Heine wanted to defend himself against these words of his Lieutenant. Actually, the Faith member was not someone who hated Naturals, "Shani, you know ZAFTs intentions aren't like that. You know that Captain Glady's motives are never differentiating and discriminating. In fact, we thought that we might be doing you a favour by sending you back to earth to continue your work with us."

"Favour?" the green haired Extended inquired, compressing his eyes carefully, "What are you saying?"

It was a good thing that he got Shani to listen. At the same time, it was a blessing that Shani was not an irrational individual –he didn't know how reckless Shani really was when he was piloting a mobile suit. "I am sure you have left your roots when you came up to PLANT. I mean, earth was your home, and when you wanted to be a soldier we practically needed to drag you from your homeland and country. Just because you are a ZAFT soldier, it doesn't mean that you have to be up here –especially when there are no wars going on. Why not serve ZAFT when you're home, I am sure that you have a place to go despite you're back on earth."

Shani did believe Heine made a good point, but it was not suffice. "It's not like the fact I don't have my roots… but it sounds really weird to go back after they shed their tears for me when I left and not ever planning to go back anytime soon. How can I explain it to them like this? This is just so farfetched…" Heine had his own share to blame. "Whatever, I suppose that isn't really a big deal now, yet I do want to know what sort of tasks I would be dealing with."

The Gouf Ignited pilot raised a cup of coffee to his lips before answering his Lieutenant. "It should be easy for you, Shani. All you have to be is a student." If the Forbidden pilot was drinking something, he could spit it all out to form a perfect rainbow. This news was indeed unexpected.

"Student?" Heine could read all of the confusion that was displayed from him. If this news was brought up to him like this, Heine was certain that he himself might act the same way.

"You will be transferred to our private headquarters in North Kyoto."

"There is a headquarters down in that area? Hey, I came from North Kyoto!"

"That's why it may be best for you to be back there with your friends and family. As for your future task, all you need to do is observe in schools whether the students promote any sort of hate towards Coordinators and Naturals." Shani's facial expression served as a powerful sign for Heine to continue his elaboration. In other words, the Lieutenant did not see any sense in Heine's logic. "With the war only ending within such a short amount of time, it is obvious that many people have not expressed their hatred towards each race. Like, just because PLANT or the EAF declared their so-called ceasefire, it doesn't mean that the rage is gone. They are still holding rifles that are meant to kill anyone that they wish, and because this declaration took place, they can no longer shoot.

"Seriously, their minds could be like 'Why can't you fools declare peace earlier so my wife or family did not have to die' or maybe even 'Why didn't you faggots declare the ceasefire _after_ I blow that son-of-a-bitch's head off'. It's funny now to say it, but to some of those people out there… this is really how they feel. They believe that the opposition hadn't suffered enough; they think that they had not contributed enough to save their loved ones; they wish to have more power… Who knows what people believe these days, but ZAFT does not want their beliefs to affect others. What I am trying to say is that we want you to be down at earth to prevent any tragedies from happening. We want you to see if any groups or individuals are having a will to provoke any violence from recurring. Once you see it around you or anywhere in the city, report it to headquarters and let them deal with it."

Shani was not exactly impressed with what Heine ordered him to do even though his reasons were quite firm. "So… I am an undercover… and I am still a Lieutenant?"

"Yes."

"But… why don't I get to do anything other than to report stuff?"

"We don't want to make it too obvious yet. Remember that you are a spy amongst your friends as well, you shouldn't tell them your real reasons for going back to earth. However, you will go to headquarters now and then for duties. Don't worry, it wouldn't be a big deal." Shani was not easily convinced.

"Easier said than done, you know," said the Forbidden pilot with a grimace across his visage, "Am I supposed to say that I am a soldier and student? Who is going to believe that? What, you got some proper excuses that I could use to explain to my friends why I am both of these things? I don't want any 'I was at the Flower Shop', 'The doctor says that I was too high on drugs that are grown on PLANT so I was better going back to earth', 'My education was not good enough but my Commander did not have the heart to fire me', 'I had a hidden craving to nuke my Commanders', 'Clowns are funny', 'My students were indecisive, so I shot them', 'A pedestrian hit me, and hid under my car', 'Better luck next time, but I never recalled saying good luck'… Just no shit, okay?"

Heine was tempted to laugh when he heard all those reasons from Shani –it wasn't everyday that a solemn, creepy, unpredictable adolescent acted like a comedian involuntarily. To Heine's amusement, he caught that over half the things that Shani said had no relevance of him being send back to earth. It was quite understandable to Heine what Shani needed to go through later on for he did require a strong enough reasoning to explain to his friends at this rate.

"Do you think that your friends are people that can keep secrets?" That question surely took the one eyed Natural off guard for a moment.

"I think so…" Shani replied dumbly while scratching his head. All he knew was that Crot and Stellar would be able to keep things quiet, but he didn't know if Kira, Lacus, and the others would be as helpful. More or less, Lacus could keep her word, but then there were the rest. With so many uncertainties, it was quite hard for Shani to give a proper answer -especially if it was all based on assumptions.

"If it's okay with you, then you can tell your friends. However, make sure that they don't tell anyone else though."

"Roger. Heine, when do I have to leave for earth?"

"The day after the academy graduation, Shani. The headquarters at North Kyoto are expecting you on the 4th day after you leave PLANT. I don't have an outline or those other official documents for your transfer, but I am sure Captain Gladys would have it by tomorrow. I'm sorry that you have to leave us after only being here for over a week… it must be quite hard for you to adjust. I am really sorry, Shani."

To Heine's surprise, Shani was grinning, "It is fine, Heine, really. If I do go back to earth, I think someone would be delighted. Maybe going home isn't a bad idea…" At least the Faith member finally had the courage to loosen up a little. At first, he really thought Shani was ticked off by this sudden order. In reality, Shani was quite agitated about this entire ordeal –but of course he didn't want to express it much more of it.

"One more thing,"

"What is it?"

"Don't let anyone else in the lower ranks to know about it for now, okay?"

"Roger."

Oblivious to the two of them, their conversation was not left unheard by one girl. Needless to say, she was devastated by this news.

**_(Later on, in Shani's office)_**

Stellar sent a mail earlier, and she did not realize how much Shani needed it. In fact, the Forbidden pilot was always glad to see messages from his childhood friend, she always knew what to do to cheer him up despite she might not even know what was going on. Stellar was a bright, considerate, and passionate girl –that was something that Shani would believe until the day he would perish. He wondered what Stellar sent him, and he did feel sort of guilty for not calling back although Shinn told him before that she called him. Despite the Forbidden pilot did sent a mail to compensate for his wrong; mailing wasn't the same as phoning. Stellar wanted to hear his voice, and he wanted to hear hers.

After a few clicks on the mouse, he finally accessed to the designated mail. His right eye opened quite a bit when he found out how formal-looking the message was.

_Dear Shani,_

_How are you these days? I think a ZAFT Lieutenant would be really, really busy all the time. You don't even have time to mail or call your baby sister anymore! I really want to hear your voice sometime soon. How are your friends doing, Shani? How is Shinn? The last time I called, you know he picked the phone, and he was telling me what kind of good job you have been doing as his instructor. Shinn said that his old instructor was old and boring, and he hopes that you don't get old and boring because you are the best military officer anyone had seen. Well, of course I am only saying things in Shinn's perspective, but then again I know that you are going to be even more amazing since this isn't the EAF, and you're not there merely as a pilot._

_I really want to be there with you and see how it is truly like to be a soldier. Rather, I want to know what life is supposed to be all about. Of course, I know I can do anything with you because I know that you will catch me when I fall._

_I miss you, I truly do. Things have not been necessarily getting more hectic, but I can safely tell you it isn't the same without you around. Don't worry about Athrun and Kira and the others, they are doing just fine despite the exhibition incident. As for me, I wait upon your return whether it's your vacation or you quit ZAFT. If you come back as a Lieutenant, I want to celebrate it with you. If you return as a normal civilian, I want to be there to heal your heart. Sadly enough, we don't get vacation until later, and that means I can't visit you anytime soon. However, if you are going to come back soon, please-please-please tell me!_

_Anyway, Cagalli prepared dinner tonight… and she is demanding that everyone must be there to enjoy it with her, and that means the guys are there, too. She's calling me now… and somehow I got the feeling that all of us would consider the bathroom our dearest friend._

_I got to go now!_

_Come back to me soon, Shani!_

_Love_

_Dearest Stellar_

Shani was deeply touched by her comforting words. At the same time, he couldn't help but to notice that there was some sort of hidden message that the Gaia pilot wanted him to know. She was surprisingly affectionate –which was something she didn't do in the past. There was just something missing, but yet the Forbidden pilot didn't fully grasp what it might be. Nevertheless, it was a great letter that soothed his heart. Just as he was about to respond her mail, someone knocked on his door.

"Who is it?" Shani called out in a passive voice to the person outside his door. He first thought that it was Lunamaria, but he certainly wasn't expecting another girl's voice.

"Lieutenant, may I come in?" This voice was familiar to Shani.

"Meyrin?"

"Yes, it's me. May I come in?" Seeing that the visitor was the younger Hawke sister, Shani was somewhat relieved knowing how sensitive Lunamaria was when the topic of Stellar was brought up. In addition, the Forbidden pilot wondered why Meyrin would be here at this hour. As far as his mind could recall, Meyrin never visited him -even if it was about her shooting and training.

He wanted to curse himself when he realized that he had been pondering too much, "Yeah, you may." As soon as Meyrin heard Shani's permission, she pressed the button to open the slide door before she gracefully stepped in. The red-head had her hand in front of her lap politely when she stood right in front of his desk without saying a word. Her head was looking at the ground, and if the floor was actually alive, it would tell her to stop staring. "Meyrin?"

"Yes?" she asked back with an audible eep. Shani could tell that she was deathly nervous about something. Was it him?

"You don't look too okay… do you need something to drink? And perhaps you should sit down?"

"Sure…" She took his advice and sat on the couch stiffly.

"What do you want to drink?" Shani asked as he opened his mini-fridge that only high ranked officers had in their office, "Want some iced tea?" Again, Meyrin nodded. In less than five seconds, Shani handed it to her before she pulled off the tab and swallowed part the contents. The Forbidden pilot was watching her drinking form, and his eye displayed nothing but confusion when he could not find out what sort of problems she was having. From what he could gather at the spot, Meyrin had no physical problems.

"Thank you…" the little Hawke sister said softly.

"No problem. Feeling better?"

"I am fine, Lieutenant."

"That's good. Meyrin, is there something that you want to talk to me about?" She didn't answer him. Meyrin was deadly still, as if she was in a deep meditation but with her eyes opened and blinking once in a while. He had never seen her like this, did he actually do something to her that made her so upset –provided if she _was _saddened. In spite of that, Shani tried to start a conversation because this was not going anywhere. Moreover, he did not want to bore his visitor to death. "I want to apologize, Meyrin."

At last, that caught her attention.

"For what, Lieutenant?" she inquired in a puzzled voice.

"For not being there to help you and Shinn practice, and also when I promised that I would be there to help. I'm sorry that my work got in my way, I hope you can forgive me."

However, her next question was something out of the blue. "Lieutenant, are you happy here?" What sort of question was that? Talk about being random!

"Huh?" Shani wanted to punch himself for being so retarded in front of her. The least that he could've done was say "I don't know what you're saying".

"Are you happy being our superior? Do you like your job right now?" This lady was very unpredictable, and no doubt the wasabi green haired Extended was having a hard time understanding what she was getting at.

"What do you expect me to say? I mean, I like it of course. I really thought I wouldn't have any friends here, but look, I have you, Shinn, Lunamaria-"

"I know I have been really happy," continued Meyrin despite that Shani wasn't done yet. Fortunately, Shani noticed her talking or he would look extremely rude or perhaps demented, "I've been really happy because onee-chan has been finally smiling… it had been a while since she had smiled… like this, I mean."

"What are you saying?" Shani always thought that Lunamaria was a delightful spirit. However, Meyrin did not appear to be lying.

"Did onee-chan tell you about the teddy bear story before?"

"Teddy bear? You don't mean when her ex made love with the teddy bear…"

"Yeah. What did onee-chan tell you?" Meyrin further inquired

"We were joking about it the other day… and I was pretty much laughing when I heard it. Not trying to be mean or anything, but getting serious with a teddy bear is just unbearable." Meyrin wanted to laugh along, but all she managed to do was give a weak smirk. In all honesty, this story was not supposed to be amusing in any possible way. Therefore, the little Hawke sister was actually surprised to know that Lunamaria made the story funny for Shani to hear.

"Is it actually that entertaining?" Meyrin suddenly questioned her Lieutenant, "I will tell you, onee-chan was crying so much when she found out that her ex had a sex life with a teddy bear." That was not something Shani expected to hear. When the Forbidden pilot gestured her to continue while giving all his attention, Meyrin eagerly continued. "Onee-chan felt defeated. We all lose sometime in our lives, hey, I thought I was going to fail the exam that is coming up next week. We win some, and we lose a lot, I know. It's a fact that goes on in our lives. However, in a relationship… you may also lose –that is when you break up. If you break up, you lose to your partner because you weren't good enough to keep the spark from glowing. If someone else steals your beloved away from you that means you didn't do a good enough job to maintain your bond with that special someone. Then again… in both cases, you realize that you are losing to someone. But why she felt so defeated and believed that she was such a loser was that she lost in relationship to an inanimate object."

Shani wished to kick something when he failed to notice this crucial fact.

"As far as I am concerned, no one loses to an object in a romantic relationship, and onee-chan practically made history with the Big Time Loser award. Do you have any idea how humiliating it is to be defeated by a teddy bear? A teddy bear for crying to the heavens! Onee-chan was so afraid of being a laughing stock, and she fell into a deep depression. She was so scared to fall in love again because she didn't know if she would need to face rejection once more. Not only that… onee-chan changed."

"Changed… because she is afraid of men… like becoming someone who is attracted to women?"

Meyrin immediately gaped at him. "My sister is not a lesbian, Shani Andras!" scolded Meyrin right on the mark. He raised a brow when she called him by his full name and not Lieutenant. The Forbidden pilot rolled his visible eye a several times with a groan escaping midway, and Meyrin also flushed up a little bit when she realized how loud she was a second ago. "Anyway…" she continued, attempting to be graceful about it, "It's just that onee-chan… well, she just hadn't been too happy ever since then. I always tried to make her happy but I was never successful. Our parents were dead a month or two before the Bloody Valentine tragedy, and it has been very tough for us to survive without them. All onee-chan wanted was someone to care for her, to love her…"

"I can relate…" said Shani sincerely. He genuinely understood how that felt like.

"Your parents have been killed before the war, Lieutenant?" Meyrin inquired as she took another sip from her can.

"I am not as fortunate as you," said the Forbidden pilot as he stretched his right arm due to lack of usage for a while, "Or maybe I am… I don't know. But I can tell you something… I never had any parents… I only friends that are as close as brothers and sisters. Without them, I would be as good as insane."

Meyrin became sympathetic, "I'm sure you had a family… maybe they passed away when you were very young, Lieutenant… I'm sorry to hear that, Shani."

Shani knew he had nobody. As much as he hated to admit it, someone who was born out of a test tube did not have any parents. Also, he could not reveal the secrets of the Rodnia Laboratory just yet. In the end, he decided to go on with the flow, "Yeah, maybe you're right, Meyrin… Maybe they just weren't as fortunate as I was…" The younger Hawke sister smiled when Shani finally had a grin on his face again.

Suddenly, Meyrin stood from her spot. Judging from her motives, it appeared that she was going to leave, "Thanks for having a talk with me, Lieutenant, I really enjoyed it."

However, Shani still had some questions that were left unanswered. He wouldn't allow her to leave like that without having at least some of the mystery solved. "Meyrin," he called as she paused in her walking.

"What?"

"What was the reason of this conversation? Why did you tell me about your sister's past?"

To his discomfort, Meyrin did not turn around. He had never seen this sort of solemnity from her. "Lieutenant, I am sure you know that you are one of the people who onee-chan fully trusts and gets along with. It's not that onee-chan does not like other people, but she really does look up to you. Please don't make a woman explain anymore than she should be… it's really embarrassing. I thank you for your time."

"Meyrin…"

She took a few steps before stopping one last time, "One more thing…"

"What?"

"If you are ever going to leave this place… can you think about everyone else that you know and onee-chan before you make your decision? I like you a lot, Shani… you have been like a big brother that I never had. Also, if you want onee-chan to be happy, I strongly advise you to do what is right. She really does admire you… and probably more… Please, don't leave her behind." With that said, Meyrin finally left the room before giving a small bow of gratitude. When Shani could no longer feel her presence, he sunk into his couch absolutely confused and troubled.

_She knows… she knows my mission… but how? Kuso…_

Stuck in two dilemmas once again, Shani was really running out of options and time. On earth there was Stellar Louissier, and on PLANT, Lunamaria Hawke… Why must life be so difficult to compromise?

**_AN: Next update would be in around two to three weeks –provided if I don't have that much work deal with. I am sure why this chapter took place, I can safely tell you that the triangle is becoming more intense as time goes along. Guys, please be patient with me, I am really trying to get these updates on time, and your support is one of the only things that actually keep me going. Thanks so much for you support you guys! Time for me to sign off._**


	8. Home Again

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_Chapter 8: Home Again_

Disclaimer: I don't own Seed! Hooray! I don't own Seed? Oh, no, I am ruined!

Legend:

"…": Speech

'…': Thoughts

Scenario changes are listed in bolded italic brackets

**_AN: Today is my first anniversary for being a member of July 6th, gotta remember that! I have been writing for a year now! YAY! _**

**_Back on the real issue now… Yes, kill and stone OpForce to death for not posting up this chapter after a month. Yes, I was working my ass off at other stuff and this is one of the longest pieces of crap that I had to write. It's crazy man! Crazy! Also, the next update will definitely take place in at least a month. Some people do know why, and some don't. Allow me to explain._**

**_On July 10th 2005, one month exactly after my 18th birthday (HOORAY, I am 18) I would be at the airport heading for Hong Kong for a several weeks. Knowing Hong Kong and some of my own relatives, I know most of them don't have the Internet, but surprisingly they have cellular phones. Without access to a PC, I don't think that I could be writing, therefore, I can't post. However, fortunately, I hope to get inspired while I am there, and hopefully I get to do some major anime shopping sprees. I am really sorry that this would definitely be my last piece of work until August, but it really can't be helped._**

**_To be real with you all, I really don't want to go back to Hong Kong. Firstly, I would be ditching my writing, which is passion. Secondly… I am losing over 2000 dollars worth of income because I can't get paid due to my absences. Minna-san, please enjoy this latest piece of my work, and leaving me a comment would make me some much happier before I leave._**

**_Thank you all so much for supporting me this long!_**

**_(North Kyoto Collegiate Institute, 11:30 AM)_**

"You going to be okay, Stellar?" asked Crot to his childhood friend during a class interchange. Actually, it was time for lunch. When the Raider pilot stole a peek behind him, he raised a brow curiously as to why Athrun, Kira, Lacus, Dearka, Miriallia, Yzak, Shiho, and especially Cagalli seem to be extremely drained and tired. He wondered what happened to them when they seemed to be quite full of it yesterday.

"I'll be fine," she told him with reassurance about her own state, "Really, I would be."

"Why is everyone so out of it?" he continued to question as he pointed to the rear, "Look, not even Cagalli Yula Attha back there is attacking Zala or Yamato. I thought the Lord has sent His mercy over us, I really thought so. Then again, Zala and Yamato could really use this time to relax." When he took another glance for a second, he nearly wanted to react when Miriallia accidentally tripped. Luckily for her, Dearka managed to catch her by the waist before her face smashed into the ground. However, Crot noticed that even the Buster pilot barely had the strength to get her back up. One small nudge would've been sufficient to make Dearka tumble over.

"We just had some of Cagalli-chan's cooking last night," replied Stellar in a whisper so the Orb princess would not know what she said, "I think everyone else is also sick…"

"Why wasn't I informed that Cagalli is cooking, Stellar?"

The Gaia pilot just chose to smile –which was something she was extremely great at making others grin with her. It was astonishing how marvelous some people could be, and in addition, Stellar did not chose to show this side to certain people –unless they were evident perverts that even blind people could identify without looking at their wretched visages. Nonetheless, Stellar would still smile but not without a forceful nail down the crotch. Even as a kid she was taught to manipulate someone's weakness to her strength. "You were sleeping after the appointment, remember? The doctor said that you needed rest after that collision with the door. And besides, you slept right after you came back."

"So I missed it? The dinner, I mean."

"Fortunately, yes. It was a good thing that you weren't there."

Crot was somewhat curious for it was quite the driving force in his life. Had he ever wondered what could've happened to him without a curious mind? In all honesty, no, yet he could sure use some knowledge to rid himself of all emotions. Crot knew it was an impossibility, since emotions were a distinct trait of a human being. However, not having it during the worst of times would've been great.

For instance, if he had no emotions when he underwent Azarel's torment, that director would've left him alone after tempting to hurt him once. However, it was because Crot showed pain and suffering that made the tortures continue.

"How was Cagalli's cooking?" he asked a few seconds later. "Was it as good as Lacus'?"

If Stellar was in a joking mood –which she was as a matter of fact- she would've laughed out loud. But being a considerate friend, Stellar decided to keep it quiet since it could hurt Cagalli's self-esteem and self-confidence. It was easy to wound, and hard to recover. "Let's just say the rice looked like glue." At that instant, the orange haired Extended wanted to curl up and vomit. If anyone wanted to serve congee, serve congee. If it was rice, then serve rice –but never half congee and half rice because it really would taste like crap. Just imagining it easily made his stomach turn.

"I think I should pass… right?"

"I thought you would," Stellar whispered softly with a gentle grin, "Crot-sempai?"

The Raider pilot didn't turn his head. Rather, he moved his blue right eye to look at her. "What is it?"

"How's your forehead? You had a pretty bad bump… at least I thought it was bad. You were so careless." Crot was surprising relieved and happy to see someone actually cared about his safety and well being. Yzak would've said something as well but both Stellar and Crot were very certain that his demeanor drastically changed when he came back after his visit with Shiho. The Duel pilot looked like a walking wraith possessed by banshees or evil spirits. In other words, he was a mess.

"It stings from time to time," admitted the male Extended as he touched it. As a result, he immediately winced where as the blond dancer quickly attended to it with worries. "Ouch, goddamn it!"

"Watch yourself, sempai!" She didn't mean to scold but she told him plenty of times not to recklessly touch it like that. "Or your bruise would not heal properly. You don't want a permanent scar on your forehead now, do you?"

When he thought about it more thoroughly, having a cool looking scar wouldn't be that bad. He was almost certain some girls in this institute believed that Yzak's scar was something majestic, magnificent, and worthy to be praised. A scar like that not only meant that he had feelings about it, it showed that he had experiences about the war itself. To some people, the Duel pilot was an honourable veteran where as Crot was a mindless killing machine. Reality pretty much sent that message around as an influence. Fortunately, it was nothing close to hysteria.

Her actions really tempted the Raider pilot to laugh, "You sound like my mother, Stellar."

The Gaia pilot was a sharp girl, and it was all thanks to Shani. "You never had one." Stellar stated dryly despite that she had no parents either. Who was she to talk?

"I wish there was a girl who would really care about me…" The Extended girl eyed him carefully for a second. Did Crot just sound like he wanted affection? As far as she knew, affection, love, romance, and lovey-dovey were not in Crot's vocabulary. In addition, these things did not match him at all! Was he going insane on her?

"Hey, I care about you," said Stellar, forgetting her own crazy thoughts for the moment, "Are you neglecting me now? I am insulted, Crot-sempai."

He sighed to no one in particular. There was no need to make a dramatic notice or boast about his own problems and other private things. "I am your big brother, Stellar," Crot explained to her as he took the liberty to ruffle Stellar's gorgeous blond hair like a big brother would, "And I promised Shani to take care of you while he is away. If I don't do my job right, Shani would be angry with me." It wasn't much of a surprise when he saw Stellar blush while hearing Shani's name being mentioned. Also, she was deeply flattered and happy to hear someone other than the Forbidden pilot cared about her like she meant something to this dreaded existence.

Did anyone ever have the courage to tell her how charming she looked with a faint pink shade crawling on her cheeks? Crot thought she was stunning with it.

"Shani-kun still cares about me?" the Gaia pilot asked her sempai hopefully. To express her exuberance and delectation, her eyes were sparkling like a crystal glittering in the light. If Crot was any other perverted male, he would be in a seductive trance despite the girl had no magical powers whatsoever. "Does he really?"

Crot had no intention to speak the untruthful. "I wouldn't lie."

Much to the timid girl's discomfort, she noticed that she was already in the cafeteria and in the gang's usual hang out spot. She didn't even realize that she was already here, things must be becoming like a routine for all of them. Maybe she was just a little out of it due to Cagalli's cooking. Then again, it would be quite wise for Stellar to check up on herself for problems. Firstly, it wouldn't be any sort of harm. Second, the Rodnia Laboratory did not have the best medical treatments –especially when she lived there for fifteen years. Fortunately, the Gaia pilot could be sure that Cagalli –hopefully- was not the source of her drowsiness, since she stuffed herself with a several bananas before the meal begun. Therefore, she would be half full to have a head start to finish the food.

Stellar –like many other women- had a strong sense of intuition and vigilance. As soon as Athrun told her the news last evening, she knew something was dreadfully, awfully wrong.

It was always better to prepare than repair – especially when she needed to repair herself from this she might not be able to see daylights again. In simpler terms, Stellar had a great intuition about death, and quite an admirably strong will to live on.

"Who's going to buy lunch?" inquired Crot to the crowd as he took out a bottle of water, "I wouldn't mind if I buy it for you guys." To his surprise, everyone shook their heads in unison. That was what scared him –the perfect coordination, as if a deadly conspiracy was planning underneath his nose with him lacking all knowledge. "Are you guys not going to eat?" At least he still had concern for his friends.

"No, we are, Crot," said Kira with a weak but sincere smile, "We're going to eat."

"But…"

"We packed our own lunch, Crot-kun," Lacus told him sweetly, as if she knew what he was going to say before it came out of him. "Don't concern yourself with us, we just wanted to eat more cleanly and safely." The orange haired Extended raised a brow at the songstress' answer. Sure, it was kind and polite, but the real question was that was Cagalli's cooking that gruesomely terrible? What made him question further was why the blond twin insisted to fix up a meal when she kind of had a clue that she sucked at it. Too much self-confidence it seemed.

From what he could gather at this moment, everyone was playing it safe –too safe. In some cases, he would even consider it as conservative –or actually, they crossed the line to being insanely careful, paranoid, and being too aware. As soon as the Strike Rouge pilot heard Lacus' very indirect criticism, she was enraged.

"Hey!" she practically roared with a shaking fist regardless that she appeared hostile and rude, "I am just a rookie, you know! I can still learn! I will promise you all that the next attempt would be spectacular!" If there were anything for her friends to admire, it would be her enthusiasm and zeal. Exuberance was a very noble trait for it gave a sense of trustworthiness to all who believed in faith. Perhaps, her ability to give high hopes to her crowd was something that was so unique about her –not like that was any quality that was worthy to be profound of when she failed to produce a confident argument and reason.

Athrun decided to step in before any dramatic action was raised. He even wrapped his arms around Cagalli's narrow waist to restrain her from doing anything idiotic, and she seemed to calm down but not quite yet. Rage was one dangerous tool of destruction after all, and Cagalli was not the most ideal manipulator of emotions. It fascinated Athrun to see someone so zealous as if Energizer Batteries were powered in their blood, but his small fantasies left a small opening for Cagalli to fidget some more to make his life increasingly difficult. "I think you've done enough for one day…" the Justice pilot declared in a not too positive fashion, "It would be best for you to step down, Cagalli."

"You're supposed to support me on these things!" she protested while fidgeting and retaliating. In one small twist, Cagalli instantly broke free and pounced on the poor Justice pilot. Dearka sighed exasperatedly while Miriallia supported him by nodding profoundly. At the same time, once the former Archangel CIC tried to produce more energy her body wondrously faltered on her. The Buster pilot was worried during this time, and he even suggested that she shouldn't be coming to school. However, when she insisted that she was fine, who was he to disagree? It was her body, not his. Also, she told him not to be too concerned about minor things, but at this point Dearka was no longer that convinced. When did someone who needed another person as a support look okay?

"Get a hold of your rage, Athha," commented Yzak arrogantly. His former subordinate quickly nudged him slightly to speak in a friendlier manner -of course the Duel pilot would not simply obey Shiho that easily. Not like he hated her –at least not yet- but the fact was that he had his own share of torment in the bathroom. As much as he hated to admit it, bathrooms and Yzak were not supposed to be friends. That convenient small room was only used when necessary, and he did not want to waste another pointless second of his time ever if he didn't have to. "It was because of you and your, awful, terrible, disgusting, cooking of monstrosity that we are all sick. If anyone is allowed to express their levels of 'being pissed off', it should be me. No, make that everyone who suffered from your meal."

"Yzak, you're not helping," Shiho told him when she pulled onto his blue shirtsleeve. "Cagalli-san was just trying her best." The Duel pilot nearly growled. If she was his so-called fiancee, why wasn't she standing by his side? Despite that Shiho told him to keep quiet about it for now, Yzak sure could've used the support. He clearly believed in the "strength in numbers" logic remarkably when it got him what he wanted.

"Yeah! At least I tried to cook!" justified the Orb princess as she got off Athrun. "At least I am a risk taker!" Once hearing that outburst from Cagalli, Lacus immediately went beside Kira for protection where as Miriallia took a few steps to hide behind Dearka. Crot and Stellar were simply amazed at the speed that it took to start an argument. They just broke a record according to the Raider pilot.

"At getting everybody killed maybe," countered the Duel pilot nearly attacking her. If Shiho didn't hold his arm, Yzak might've dashed at Cagalli. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"Why didn't you tell me that last night?" Cagalli shouted back with equal rage. Athrun tried to calm her down with Kira and Lacus but it just didn't cut it at the moment. "Why wait until now when I am regretting that I ever cooked for you people?"

Yzak expected that weak comeback since yesterday –which was a pretty long unnecessary grudge. "Because I was in the bathroom for 3 goddamn hours! And by the time we came out, none of us had the strength to argue!"

"Oh, so you're starting now, is that it? I am no zoologist, but I can tell you're a jackass!"

The gray haired Coordinator was unaffected by that insult to everyone's surprise. If Dearka and Athrun knew Yzak Jule as well as they remembered, Yzak should be fuming by now and soon drastic measures must be used in order to achieve absolute victory. Instead, he had control –amazing control. Was Shiho the cause of this? "I am still pissed regardless of what you call me! You caused everything to happen, and are you saying that I don't have the right to be ticked off? Are you saying that getting everyone (including yourself) fucked up was not enough?" Surprisingly, he turned to Kira for some support. "Yamato, aren't you at least a bit upset that you got sick because of her arrogance?"

Kira winced when he was suddenly put in this conversation. To his dismay, everyone's eyes darted at the Freedom pilot, and what made it worse was that Cagalli clearly expected some good answers from her little brother. "Big" sisters could always have support of their loved ones, and in the Orb princess' case, encouragement was mandatory; a must.

"It's not that bad…" replied the Perfect Coordinator as a weak laugh escaped his lips very forcefully. It didn't take anyone with wits of a genius to know what sort of lie Kira was starting on; especially when he was a terrible liar. He hated the dinner, and even if his little trickery somehow make it past everyone Lacus was there to stop it –not like she would though but she could definitely detect the truth behind everything. Merely picturing the smiling face of his sister serving the food was an awful nightmare on its own. Kira seriously did not know how Cagalli failed to realize what kind of disaster was served on the table that night. If he was the cook, he was quite certain that he had an idea of the quality of his products before showing it in public for the sake of not having a need to humiliate himself.

The next line was what made all of them stared with disbelief. "At least we… at least we got to know how diarrhea feels like… despite having it for hours…"

Athrun, Miriallia, Stellar, Crot, and Lacus immediately slapped themselves at that retarded response. What on earth was he talking about? Did he know he just looked like an idiot consciously? If he wanted to side with someone never support both oppositions. Yzak eyed Yamato queerly as where Cagalli fumed up at his answer.

Dearka immediately jumped in without anyone's expectations. "Cagalli," he began seriously, "Cooking and your ambitions altogether makes you crazy. And for the sake of me, Miriallia, your brother, and practically everyone else, it is best if you don't start fixing things from scratch such as raw meat or curry chicken –aside from toast, microwave dinners, and maybe instant ramen. Better yet, don't enter the kitchen at all."

Kira and Athrun gasped audibly when they heard the Buster pilot's blunt words. If Cagalli was a guy, maybe such direct instructions were more suitable. However, Cagalli was a woman, and women –despite how much of a tomboy they may be- were extremely sensitive. Both Coordinators prepared for the worst when Cagalli started to stare at the Buster pilot dangerously. She was not making a sound… she just chose to be watch and observe.

The blond Coordinator swallowed a little bit while Miriallia became deeply worried. This silence wasn't something that had the potentials to keep anyone from being calm and collected. It felt like the Strike Rouge pilot could smell people's minds, and the more they wanted to conceal it the easier she could discover it. In another era, people would've burned her for being a witch. Having Cagalli as a companion it was nearly impossible not to pick up her personalities, values, and expectations.

Values were caught, not taught. wind

The first sentence that came out of the female twin's mouth shocked all of them. "My ambitious makes me crazy?" At first, they were expecting a major outbreak of rants and screaming. Everyone became dead silent before her emotions turned wild as she pointed to herself. All of them were deadly still as they listened. "I'm crazy? I'm crazy? I'm crazy! Oh, if I am so goddamn crazy, then have all you damn crazy kitchen! Do any bullshit that you want! You don't want me here to do nice things for you because I am so fucking crazy! Guess what, I don't give a damn anymore!" Dead silence filled the air when Cagalli proudly –and angrily- screamed out her inner thoughts. In one sharp turn, Cagalli spun around before marching out the cafeteria in tears. They didn't fall just yet, but anyone who saw her face at the moment would not fail to detect her sadness.

At the same time, Athrun was glaring at the Buster pilot. It had been a long while since Zala did that to Dearka. From Kira and Lacus' perspective, seeing Athrun upset was not a pretty sight –especially if all his disappointment was directed at them.

"What?" asked Dearka nervously. "Stop that, you guys…"

"We were going to have a nice lunch…" said the Justice pilot before he, too, went after the Orb princess. "Great, now I am going nuts!" Kira and Lacus watched their good friend's running form carefully and worriedly. It wasn't too difficult to predict how Athrun was feeling deep within.

Then, Crot moved in, and maybe it really wasn't the most ideal time. "Does anyone else want to eat?"

Yzak could've cared less about the scenario that happened previously. It wasn't like he was Cagalli's lover. Besides, he didn't like having an empty stomach. In fact, he was so weak this morning that he didn't bother to have breakfast, and it was all caused by a certain Gundam pilot that originated from Orb. Just as he was about to sit down and enjoy his homemade sandwich, someone's hand grabbed the back of his shirt before forcefully taking him outside. He wanted to protest but he was being choked. Words turned to gasps, and gasps soon turned into blasphemy.

Stellar and Crot merely observed with precision and awareness. What in the hell just happened? At first, Crot thought that life following the endless chaos was worth living. Now it was another story. Without Shani here, things seemed to be getting out of hand. To begin, Yamato was wimpy in some ways –or a lot of ways. Athrun was becoming a rageaholic –not the kind where he expressed rage but the type that must be abused in order to keep their sanity. Dearka turned all mushy when it came to Miriallia. Yzak's behaviour almost made a drastic change after meeting Shiho. Cagalli had rage problems, and everything was heading down the path of death with no return. The only person that kept the Extended sane was the female Extended miraculously, and even so Stellar frequently mentioned Shani and this new guy named Shinn. In simpler terms, Crot was going crazy.

Noticing how no one was in the mood to eat, Crot took his backpack in one swipe of his hand before making his way to the line up to get food. As someone who looked up to the Raider pilot, Stellar bid a small farewell to the depressed gang right before she caught up with her brotherly friend. At the same time, she wondered what happened to Cagalli. Stellar just hoped that her friend was safe.

However, whenever it came to Cagalli, Stellar had to expect more than the expected.

Somehow, she couldn't help herself but to pity Athrun.

**_(Meanwhile)_**

If there was anything that he could wish for right now, Athrun would pray for his princess to return. Okay, Athrun had to admit that Cagalli did not run far enough that he would never see her again, but it wasn't fortunate when she ran off pretty fast. As a ZAFT elite, the Justice pilot was somewhat astonished that he (being a Coordinator) did not have the stamina to keep up with her. He tried yelling out her name but his vocal cords conveniently chose to fail him. His legs moved as fast as they could take him but Cagalli's were faster. Every factor was against him.

Athrun wanted to cry with bloody murder when Cagalli ran out of the school before making a sharp turn to the left. The blue haired Coordinator desired to rest but his heart chose not to. At the same time, he wondered where his princess had run. He actually didn't know this area quite well since there was never a need for him to be here. Nonetheless, he continued his chase while lacking all sorts of knowledge. As soon as he made the same turn that Cagalli made seven seconds ago, he eyes widened when he saw a soccer field down below a small hill. At last, he realized he was at the back of the school.

There were plenty of people here in hordes, waves, or even legions. Maybe he was exaggerating the amount just a little, yet it didn't change the fact that he couldn't find Cagalli amongst this crowd. He obviously knew his Orb-hime was quite easy to recognize –she was a blond haired girl with a masculine body. However, when he thought about it, Cagalli's body figure was a hidden secret to almost everyone –even Kira. She took the liberty to wear baggy clothes, jackets, or large sweaters ever since she arrived here. The only time that Athrun could tell she had distinct feminine curves at the most perfect places was last evening before she began her wretched operation.

The Justice pilot then shook his head to snap himself out of his own images and daydreams. He needed to look for her for crying out loud, not to imagine how gorgeous she would be when her bra fell off! But that would be something desirable, it would be a dream come true to be able to witness Cagalli exposed only for him. Luck certainly was not on his side when he saw the mob ahead of him. His eyes cringed at the results.

He hated what he saw; he wanted to just scream like a moron to catch Cagalli's attention instead of watching this. Athrun just never thought he would ever detest a rainbow when those 7 grand colours represented happiness and hope. The mob symbolized a rainbow in a very messy fashion where the students' hair colours varied. In this case, there was no way that he could recognize Cagalli. Athrun cursed to himself, and although there weren't as many people compared to Athrun's previous exaggeration, it didn't really help when the Justice pilot was not one of the tall people amongst the students. He could barely see the far end with that many people in the way, and he wasn't gutsy enough to bash through the crowd.

Forfeiting was his best option; there was no telling where Cagalli could've went now. The only thing and person that he could blame was himself for being not quick-witted and good enough to find her. When the Justice pilot thought about his failures once more, he decided to loosen his self-bashing. It was just a silly argument, he kept telling himself with false hope, Cagalli would get over it and by tomorrow she should be fine. In truth, it was quite difficult for Athrun to assume such hopeful situations when Cagalli was nowhere to be found. He sure felt useless.

Suddenly, his hand felt warm, as if it had lifted his problems. When he moved his green eyes to the side he was taken aback to see a quiet Cagalli holding it. This calm mask did not suit her. Rather, this depression was not something that his emerald eyes wanted to see. Never would he thought a relaxed Cagalli would be so divine and soothing, she made him want to kiss her. He noted that she seemed so fragile, so frail… and of course Athrun would do anything to make things better. However, he needed to take the initiative to start.

"Cagalli…" he whispered to her as he hand caressed her cheek, "Are you okay?"

"No…" she whimpered back in a pout and whisper, "Why are you here?"

"I was worried about you, silly."

"No, you're not…" Athrun was genuinely surprised at her answer, and he had a good cause.

"Why shouldn't I be, Cagalli? You mean to tell me that I should be leaving you out here?"

"You're angry with me, I know it…"

This made Athrun confused. "About what? Why should I be angry with you?"

Cagalli's glance was stunningly blunt while telling him not to be a fool and smarten up. It was actually sort of hostile to a degree. "Don't play dumb, Athrun. You ate the dinner that I forced you to eat, why wouldn't you hate me?"

"I don't get what you are trying to tell me…" The Justice pilot seriously did not understand what she was getting at but her stare simply increased before she slipped her hand out of his. Needless to say, the Justice pilot did not manage to find a connection between being angry at her and her meal. "Cagalli… should we sit down somewhere?"

The Orb princess still did not look at too delighted but she had a conscious will to talk. "Sure, let's sit on the hill. I was just there before I saw you up here looking around like an idiot." Some remark that was to compliment his hard search. Athrun nearly wanted to scold her for it but he chose to keep it quiet for now.

"Idiot?"

"Yes…" replied the girl slowly and without any life, "You weren't looking that graceful…"

"Thanks for your compliment," said Athrun with sarcasm frozen in his speech as he laid on the grass without Cagalli saying a word. Not even a simple groan "Aren't you going to sit though? You did suggest this, right?" The Orb princess shrugged a little, a bit uncaringly to be exact.

"I don't recall saying anything," she told him as a matter of fact, "You suggested everything, right?" What was wrong with her? If she was pissed off at Yzak or Dearka at being so blunt, why was he getting the blame? Athrun didn't deserve this, and yet he wanted to help his princess out. Also, he would not leave until something was produced –some favorable results rather. No doubt healing was always viewed as a difficult task to Athrun. In some cases, he was considered the expert of recovery for his emotional scars with Kira was one of the toughest dilemmas that he had to encounter. Where Cagalli stood in their relationship anyway? Athrun thought about that from time to time, it seemed like this new life had caught him away from all these dreaded moments and memories temporarily. These days Athrun believed bliss was a great solution to relieve pain.

"Cagalli," the Justice pilot called her before taking her hand and pulled it down. The purpose of course was for her to sit with him to talk it out like two civilized people in a civilized country. "Come on." The girl twisted her body and whined incoherently, she was obviously not too willing to give in or show any sort of weakness. Athrun then rubbed her hand gently while sending soothing signals to show that he cared. It was no easy task but Athrun finally smiled when Cagalli decided to take a seat beside him. He thought he saw a grin on her beautiful lips, but he frowned when it quickly disappeared, as if it never existed to begin with.

Cagalli initiated the first words to their conversation with a voice that matched sadness. "If you're trying to defend for Yzak or that Elsman, I don't need you to…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Isn't it why you're here, Athrun?" she questioned his motives right on the spot. "Aren't you here to tell me to take it easy and believe that they said none of those mean things despite that all of us heard them loud and clear? Aren't you here to tell me that I should reconcile with them so we are all one big happy family again? I will tell you what, I am not going."

"What are you saying? Why are you making such assumptions?"

"I am assuming nothing," she strongly stated, "I know what you are thinking, Athrun. They are your friends, right? You would want them to see you as the Athrun Zala, their good friend in ZAFT, the squad leader and strong person that guided them through numerous battles whether with success or failure. You wouldn't want me to make you lose any face, am I right? That's why you want me to go back."

"Of course I want you to go back," he said in the most appeasing way possible. The Justice pilot didn't mean that she should return and reconcile with the others as if nothing happened but he really wanted this entire conflict to end. At the same time, he realized he said in the wrong way when Cagalli gave him a short, angry stare. "But not with the reasons you helpfully provided. Cagalli, I really…"

Before he could even justify himself, Cagalli refused to provide the time that he needed. Instead, she ignored him by turning her head away –and Athrun was nearly certain that her face did not carry a very delighted expression. What could he possibly do to get her attention? Rather, when would she give him a chance to rephrase what he said? He seriously hoped that it would be soon since he knew he was losing connection with her as each second went by ever so dreadfully.

"I am not going back," she insisted firmly.

"Why not?"

"I am no zoologist, but I can tell Dearka and Yzak are jackasses!"

"They were just angry, Cagalli," persuaded the blue haired Coordinator on behalf of his friends. Also, he didn't know why he felt uncomfortable when his admirer continued to insult his friends. If it was Dearka, he could understand why. It was strange that he wanted to defend Yzak amongst all people. "I know they didn't mean it when they called you… I don't know, bitch, or crazy bitch, or something else. I am sure it was all due to the moment thing. You know, rage took the better of them."

"Why are you helping them? Are you saying that I am wrong?" Cagalli was quite desperate to have an ally. Oblivious to her, Athrun own detection skills were not as terrible as people first thought –he clearly knew what sort of motives she had. Not like they were bad though.

"Are you as correct as you think you are?" he immediately challenged her with a serious look. At this point, Cagalli could tell Athrun was completely into this subject –and getting him to simply drop this conversation became an impossibility at this rate. At the same time, his form of challenge did not please Cagalli.

"Then you think that Dearka and Yzak are right!" Cagalli announced with an accusing finger.

Athrun wisely protected himself without returning a wound, "I didn't say that. On the contrary, I don't believe that Dearka and Yzak did the smartest thing by bringing the subject up and insult you like that. I don't like to see you hurt." The Rouge pilot grinned at his supportive words but frowned when her ears absorbed the next batch, "However, I can't blame them for feeling angry."

Cagalli wanted to scream when she noticed that he was going around in circles. This scenario was no different from the war between Naturals and Coordinators where she was the Natural and the Gundam pilots were Coordinators. Athrun was serving as the neutral person (like Orb) but in Cagalli's opinion he was not doing a great job at being the neutrality. In fact, he was being the neutral ass that was provoking the two sides to destroy another. Imagine if Athrun finding a magical genie and he was only able to have one wish granted since there were some miraculous difficulties. He would look at Cagalli battling Dearka and Yzak –nearly wiping out each other for good. Instead of helping out by using his wish, he would first smile before facing the genie. Cagalli was so positive that Athrun would say "Since both my wishes are granted, I'll just have a bottle of coke", and then popping the tap open and swallow all the sugary liquids within with utmost satisfaction that could make Cagalli's face wrinkle with rage.

If she ever heard him declare such statements of outrage and blasphemy, she would run him over with her Gundam. Better yet, Shani's Gundam –since it was delivered to Orb's Mobile Suit factory and heavier than Strike Rouge.

"What are you even saying?"

"I'm saying that all of us had a good reason to be angry. It's just that some people have more self-control than others." Athrun seemed to be making valid points yet the girl did not appear to be too accepting towards it. In other words, she didn't buy it. "Let's get real here, you know Yzak is grumpy and doesn't make the best solutions when it comes to human interactions. He acts like that sometimes, you know, being an introvert but it doesn't mean that he meant what he said or is he a bad person."

"I think I can be the judge of that," Cagalli said sternly as she turned her head back to him with her eyes slightly narrowing to prove her opinion, "But you have to admit that they were being quite the jackasses –more than usual rather."

Much to her disbelief, Athrun shrugged. "What were you then? Being Crazy Queen Bitch of the cafeteria?"

"Athrun!"

"Cagalli, this is not the first time you've caused a ruckus and made a fool of yourself in the cafeteria. You know that just as much as everyone else, and people are starting to recognize your face by that reputation. Although you're no embarrassment to any of us, but your attitude wasn't all out better. Let's face it, shouting like a complete insane bitch that curses and yells at her friends does not make anyone feel good, so just because they hurt you, you hurt them right back. Very noble of you, Cagalli Yula Athha-sama."

"I won't apologize!" she practically screamed this time when she felt cornered by his wits. "Not until-"

"Not until when?" Athrun questioned despite that she wasn't done yet. The Orb princess was actually stunned to hear his voice this time around. Not only did he never interrupted her with such swiftness, was his voice cold this time or what? She was honestly bewildered to hear him use such a tone on her –he hadn't done that in a very long while if she recalled. "What do you want to do? Do you want this pointless argument to dominate your choices and emotions? Would it be worth it when you are still pissed off and Dearka or Yzak already forgotten about your small, insignificant arrogance? You are still angry at them for something that they are no longer caring, and who's suffering then? I can surely tell you that my friends wouldn't be. Why are you still holding grudges on something that doesn't even exist anymore?"

Cagalli felt like snapping at him, and which she did. "What do you mean it doesn't exist? I am feeling pissed off right now, and you're saying that I should consider it as absurdity and outdated?"

"Just don't cook anymore, okay? For everyone's sake and my sake!" Hearing that angry yell from Athrun –which he rarely did ever since he reunited with Kira in Orb- Cagalli could easily detect the anger building up from within. Unbelievably, it got the Strike Rouge pilot quiet.

"Okay…" she told him with her eyes cast down guiltily.

Athrun raised a brow immediately. He didn't expect her to listen this quickly. "Huh?" There were dozens of better answers and he had to stick with a pathetic one.

"Don't make me repeat it…" To his surprise (for the second time today), Cagalli curled up before she cried in his chest.

"Cagalli?" he was genuinely worried and had a justifiable reason. This was Cagalli, not some random girl. He tried to pry her off but she clung on tightly while refusing to show her face. "What's wrong?" He only tried again yet the outcome was the same.

"Don't look at me…" she told him through weeps and sobs. "I don't want you to see me like this…"

Athrun became sympathetic. "Oh, poor Cagalli…" He knew she didn't want him to witness her crying face, and he obviously knew she hated fragility and weakness. At the same time, Cagalli found that crying out loud did heal her somehow but she just wished there was a more graceful to do it instead of looking so frail. He didn't mind if his princess cried because she would always be Cagalli to him, and there was nothing wrong about being real and honest with yourself. Athrun was always taught that if one couldn't be sincere with themselves they couldn't be honest with another human being.

"I'm so sorry… for hurting you…"

"It's okay, Cagalli… it really is…" She chose to shake her head in refusal but not when Athrun started to coo her like a lover would. "It's okay, it's really okay… don't cry anymore, Cagalli… or you will make me cry, too." Seeing her so vulnerable truly made his heart ache before it sunk a little bit more. He only saw her weep once, and even then she was extremely strong during her sorrow. Now, this was such a new experience for him, since he never would've expected

They held another for the longest time possible, not ever wanting to remove the other from their reach. Athrun loved it when she became real (emotionally, not physically) to him, and although she always had an impression and image to keep the real Cagalli was someone who needed guidance, affection, and someone to love her. She wasn't being healthy while trying to be the goddess of victory because in the end a human being always had their limits. She certainly lacked something, and that was being sober.

Cagalli's admiration grew more in depth that day.

**_(At PLANT)_**

"Damn you, Heine…" cursed Shani as he took out a book from the shelf to read his lesson plan for the day. "This transfer is just too sudden… and I still need to prepare for lessons as if I am not free from the shackles of being an instructor? What is this? I am a good damn human being, not a machine…"

Instead of complaining, maybe it was wiser to just keep working. At the same time, Shani just noticed that he was talking to himself. He, within the first 3 Extendeds, was considered the sanest one, and now here he was babbling to no one or to his imaginary friend. Work must've taken over his dominant intelligence. The Forbidden pilot was not a lazy individual, but the fact was getting ready to teach was a major challenge. Actually, it had been for quite a while now. In fact, he never liked teachings, but he was an expert among the Extended due to the fact he loved destruction –it was all he got to learn in the Rodnia Laboratory.

Believe it or not, Shani was running out of ideas. He had been here for 10 days already, and being someone that was not all out excellent at teaching he was always paranoid about his lessons being good or not so effective. Whenever he asked Lunamaria, Shinn, or Meyrin for suggestions, criticism, pointers, and such they would usually offer the same things. In other words, his friends gave quite the supportive comments. At times, a bit of negative words could sharpen his skills.

Shinn was always the blunt, direct, and very honest one amongst the three. Shani already had an idea what he would say. 'Don't worry about it, Lieutenant Shani, you are too worried about things. What you lack in this field is self-confidence, and why do you need to be like this when you can teach Meyrin and I to shoot like pros? Put yourself together!' Those were some of the words that Shani quoted from the vampiric Coordinator directly. The Forbidden pilot grinned when he remembered those sentiments of wisdom, and very soon after Shinn was socked by Meyrin for giving such an idiotic impression.

When Shani recalled those three, he suddenly remembered that he needed to give out the news about his transfer back to earth. Although he did not fully know how Meyrin figured it out last night, he was almost certain that she told Lunamaria about this news. He wondered how the older Hawke sister would take it when she heard this. After last evening's confession and affectionate activities, it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lunamaria extremely upset when their conflicts were only starting to become better. How could he even have the guts to explain this?

His dilemmas slid downhill for the worst when he heard an adorable knock that resembled Lunamaria's endearing behaviour. Somehow, he got a strong feeling that it was going to be her –there was almost no mistake about it.

"Who is it?" asked Shani from his desk as audible as he could since he was trying to write up a small lesson plan after all. With the dates so close to exams, it was no doubt that he rather make simple lessons so his students could do their individual studies. At the same time, he noticed some people even decided to ditch these last days –he just hoped no one would ditch the actual exam.

"Shani," the voice called, and of course the Forbidden pilot recognized it immediately, "It's me." She was already so familiar with him that she could refer herself without telling her name, he had to admire her adaptability around people. "May I come in?"

Taking a small glimpse around the room, Shani sighed a little tiredly and relieved when he found out there was nothing shocking for Lunamaria to see. The most important thing would be his laptop, and damn he was glad that he checked Stellar's mail early. "Yeah…" he called as he made a cough, "You may." In less than a second, the automatic sliding door opened to reveal a timid, frail, delicate looking Lunamaria. What surprised Shani was that not only was she blushing like many other times, it looked like she was going to weep.

The gentle posture she was standing in showed him only fragility and pain, and it was no surprise when his body automatically moved on its own to be by her side. If this was anyone else, Shani wouldn't have cared. Then again, what caused him to become this considerate? Who was this girl to him? How did she maintain this charm that had no means to end?

"Lunamaria," he said as his hands involuntarily pulled her in a small embrace. "Are you okay? Do you want to talk to me about something?" She nodded in his chest without saying a word but Shani could tell that she was actually blushing radiantly due to the fact that his chest became very warm. Not needing any second thoughts, Shani wisely guided her in his office before inviting her to sit down on the couch, and he was sitting on the one adjacent to her.

Once more, he tried to approach her. He tried many times before and it worked like a charm, why should this time be any different? "Lunamaria, can I get you anything? Tea? Bagel? Coffee? You want me to buy you breakfast?"

Her answering was something close to a hiss, a hateful hiss. "I don't want anything…" Shani could not tell the facial expression she was forming since her hair was shading over her eyes and her head was somewhat down, but her mouth surely did not appear to be delightful. Was she angry with him? Shani wondered what he could've done wrong. However, he gasped inwardly when she raised her head to meet his, and finally he found out that her tears were practically going to fall. At last, she completely lost it and wept.

"Lunamaria…"

"I don't want anything… Except for you to stay here…"

Needless to say, Shani quickly realized what she was talking about. It was too soon, he didn't even think of a good way to explain this to her yet, and now he was forced to improvise. Just when he attempted to keep himself together, she stood from her spot before approaching him. He didn't know what to do when Lunamaria wanted affection, and her face nearly told him everything that was needed.

"Lunamaria, listen to me…"

She refused to listen to anything once she practically dashed at him before her arms circled around his body, as if she would never let him go despite any reason.

"Shani!" This time around, he felt his left shoulder was getting too warm. It didn't take long to find out those were tears. "Why, why do you have to leave?" she cried in sobs that forced the Lieutenant to sense nothing but pain. At the same time, it was quite difficult not to have Shani realize what sort of "not-so-innocent" position they were in especially when her smooth, perfect legs –as if Kami-sama molded it Himself- entangled his thighs to pin him down. "Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?"

For each why she said there were two pounds that came with it. Shani was deeply glad that it was only his chest area that was attacked since if it was anywhere else it could've been terribly worse. It was cute to see Lunamaria so caring and emotional but the sadness that she was portraying was something that Shani preferred not to experience.

"Hey, Lunamaria… it hurts…"

"I don't care…" she told him while her voice was at a verge of cracking at any second. In fact, it was trembling.

"Lunamaria, what's wrong?"

She decided to give him a piece of her mind. "What do you mean, 'what's wrong'? Isn't it wrong not to tell me if I may never ever see you again? You think I want that to happen? Am I that unimportant to you, Shani?"

"Lunamaria, please listen… you are very crucial to me… Wait, what do you mean by never going to see me again? You are talking to me right now." Not to mention how charming she appeared right now while most of her body was making contact with his.

"Don't play dumb with me! If I am so crucial to you, why didn't you tell me that you're leaving? Do you know how important that is to me? Oh, Shani… why do you have to go…" She sounded so depressed and desperate, and the Forbidden pilot found it very tough not to be sympathetic. Her endearment had no limits.

"It's not my choice," he admitted to her despite their ungraceful position, "If I had a choice… I would rather familiarize myself here a little bit more…"

"Don't you have a say in this though? Just because they are going to send you to leave… are you just going to leave without giving a fight?"

"What is there to fight about?" he asked her as his eye raised a little bit at her demands, "I am just going back to earth because they need me there."

Involuntarily, her hands broke out of their embrace before she held him by the shoulders firmly. Therefore, he could make full eye contact with her without fail. He almost blushed but he obviously detected all the solemnity that she was showing. Even with such a demanding face, she was still so gorgeous in his eyes. "But…" she said, trying not to falter. "I need you here…" Shani seemed to be stunned when he heard it.

"What?" In most cases, Shani would've said something more appropriate than a flat 'what'. However, her words were shocking to a degree. To the very least, it was enough to make him think. "What do you mean…" Once more, Lunamaria gracefully moved her arms around his body before she pulled him in a hug. Her head rested on his shoulders as she inhaled his unique odour that delighted her. What magnificent grace she had, Shani just couldn't keep up with her, and what truly made him speechless was how Lunamaria then buried her face into his chest. If she was crying, Shani might as well consider himself helpless. When a girl needed comfort, Stellar always told him to be a gentleman and offer his time to make things better. Fortunately for Stellar, she had told him when he was a young innocent boy, since if Shani was fifteen at that time he would've just said 'oh, screw that' while staring at her and then say "who would screw you" right after.

She then moaned with a touch of sadness as her hands moved lovingly to be familiar with his back. She loved his body, just by feathering it made her knew how fit he was. "After all this time… don't you understand my feelings, Shani?"

"I… Lunamaria-san… it's not that…"

He was cut short when she spoke again. "Why do you have to leave me?"

"I am not leaving you, I am still alive, Lunamaria,"

"Without you here… it's no different from leaving me!"

"Lunamaria, who told you this?"

"My sister told me this morning… and I couldn't help but to find you to see if it's really true."

"How did she though? I mean… she looked for me last night… but I didn't ask her how she found out. In fact, you aren't supposed to know either. And neither should she."

"Meyrin overheard you and Heine talk… she wants to apologize…"

_So that's how she knew…_

Even if Lunamaria chose to be completely attached to him, Shani still needed to look at his watch. It said 9AM, and that meant he was already late for class. During this time, Shani clearly had an idea of how Lunamaria was feeling about this whole ordeal, and she disliked it very vividly. She made it appear as if they were dating. Although exiting the room meant that they would end the entire conversation, Shani worried about regulations than affection/emotion. In simpler terms, despite how much he wanted to deal with this Coordinator girl right now he needed to do his job. The Forbidden pilot tried to move, and his eye widened when she didn't budge.

He tapped her on the shoulder as he spoke to her. "Lunamaria… hey, we have to get to class…" She merely shook her head in his chest as her hands tightened the embrace further, as if it was the most correct thing to do. No doubt she was playing the persistence game, and more importantly, she knew he was trying to escape. But she didn't let him know that she knew, therefore, she needed to be loving to him. "Hey, Lunamaria… what are you…"

"Let me hug you longer…" she silently commanded with gentleness and care. "Please…"

"Lunamaria… we have to get going." He tried to move and struggle yet Lunamaria just turned down to follow his instructions. To prove her point, she shook her head without saying a word, as if she was going to break down the moment he leaves her. She was basically daring him to move.

"Hug me…"

"If someone comes in and sees us like this… we would get into big trouble." What he said was absolutely true since affections were not supposed to build up between student and teacher –especially in the military. Shani always told himself that the closest he could be with his friends was best-friend-level and no higher because it could easily lead to misunderstandings. Not only that, he could get fired as a soldier if anyone found out since he was a teacher.

However, the magenta haired girl was unaffected. "So what?" she questioned him as she raised her head a little to reveal her beautiful blue eyes that glinted majestically. "No one is going to come in." She was right; no one ever came in this room other than Lunamaria, Shinn, Meyrin, Heine, and himself. If Shinn and Meyrin were in class, and Heine was working in his office, that only meant that not another soul was could possibly be in here except him and Lunamaria. If both of them were hugging at this precise moment, Shani knew nobody could possibly find a need to intrude. In fact, Shani was quite curious if anyone was going to come in to save him. When he peeked at the girl, her smile told him she held the upper hand, and she was very much so going to defeat him with everything she had. He wondered if their position was considered revolting or appealing. To answer that question, it would all depend on the crowd.

"But…"

She soon silenced him skillfully with her index finger over his mouth –a smile of charm didn't prove to be a disadvantage to catch his attention. "Where were we the last time before the phone rang?" the girl asked innocently but she obviously could tell she held nothing that contained purity. He was so admiring, as she would prefer to call Shani, she could just kiss him because he deserved it so much. Not only was he a great teacher, he was a very honourable friend that was worthy to be cared for. She never knew a guy who she once thought was a pervert could be so lovely –to the least that was what she believed him as.

"I…" she loved to see him choke when she was trying to win him over. "…don't remember…"

She then pulled him in just a bit nearer so she could sense his comfortable warmth. "I do though…" Lunamaria licked her lips deliciously and deliberately to make Shani realize what sort of healing kindness he was missing if he didn't make the right move. Also, she was smiling peacefully to calm all senses. "You were about to kiss me, remember?"

"Um, no?" he told her as he swallowed a bit too hard.

"You…" she blushed as she was speaking, and Lunamaria cursed herself in her mind since she didn't desire to appear weak. Then again, it was difficult not to flush up in front of the person she liked so much. Shani didn't know how delighted she was when he never pushed her away –unlike someone who preferred to purge their virginity with a teddy bear. "You like being kissed?"

He would have come up with something more promising, but all he could do was stare in fear. Was she saying what he thought she was referring to? Did she want him to kiss her?

"Do you want an honest answer?"

"I would love a sincere response, of course," she chirped cutely.

"I don't know… I suppose it feels nice?"

"How nice?" she inquired cutely to have a hopeful answer. "Care to tell me?"

The Forbidden pilot raised a brow at her graceful approaches. If he didn't know better, Lunamaria was actually commanding him to tell her. Not like he minded though, she was so charming like that. She was unique, and the Coordinator girl was just very delightful. Although she was good, Shani was better at keeping his self-consciousness instead of losing it to her. "What's the matter, Lunamaria-san?"

"What do you mean?" she questioned him, that good smile of hers still refused to fade. Another faint blush naturally scribbled on her adorable cheeks at the same time, Shani was so tempted to kiss her.

"Why do you sound like as if you would never see me again?"

"Our time is short," she reasoned before pulling him closer once more by the arms and body. Her sensitive touches were similar to something of an unknown but he was sure that it could bring forth comfort. He liked it, yet admitting it was a thing that he couldn't do. "If we don't kiss now…" she held a heavy shade of red at that instant before continuing with timidity. "We might never have the chance…" What touching words she had, thought the Forbidden pilot, but it was still not good enough to make him completely give up to his libido. He liked her, really liked her in fact, but he had to remind himself constantly that she was his student and he was a respected Lieutenant.

"Lunamaria-san,"

She shook her head when he called her that. She hated him being so formal with her when she desperately wanted Shani to refer her as Lunamaria-chan, or better yet, Luna-chan. If he referred to her with a chan, that would be a sign that their friendship had light at the end of the tunnel. "Why can't you call me Luna-chan? Why Lunamaria-san? You don't need to be so polite! We are friends… I wish we are more…" That struck his system a bit hard. A bit more… those words… those words were the clearest opening that he had seen. No, that was all he needed to see. It explained all sorts of confusion and mysteries –not like Shani didn't know already but it surely displayed all the desperations she contained.

"Lunamaria… I… can't do that…"

"Why not?" she pleaded as he sat back up to regain more ground in this situation. However, she still didn't let go of him. In fact, someone might need to pry her off later on. Affection and desire dripped from her intentions. "Am I no good?" He shook his head slightly to prove her wrong judgment, but then again it didn't clear up a several things. Lunamaria was still extremely eager to know why Shani always chose to remain neutral where as she wanted him so badly. The reasons of her desires were frankly obvious but yet her Lieutenant still failed to provide a justifiable reason to decline tenderness and passion. She was starting to lose self-confidence, and her jealousy towards Stellar (although the Gaia pilot did not do a single thing) simply grew.

Indeed, it was very unfortunate that Shani still did not fully realize what was going in her mind.

"You're a great friend, Lunamaria," he told her with pure intentions of honesty, "You really are."

"I don't want to hear those things!" Her outbursts startled the Forbidden pilot for a second before his right eye returned to normal tension. "I don't want to hear that I am just a good friend… I don't want to hear it!"

"Then what do you want to hear?"

"I want you… I want you…" She then halted under all the pressure. It was too much. Lunamaria was too upset and angry to continue, and if she did choose to proceed she may even unleash some very regrettable words. Needless to say, she needed to control her emotions well but she cursed her female origin.

As far as society was concerned about the stereotypical women (like how people make fun of blondes) they are emotional beings where they were extremely sensitive. Sadly enough, when it came to romance Lunamaria was very fragile –especially after her previous failure in her own relationship. In addition to her weaknesses, Lunamaria could be quite emotional when she was under stress, pressure, and more so, anger.

Shanil noticed her discomfort at this point evidently. It wasn't all out challenging to see someone breathing too hard, having tears in her eyes that were about to fall, and moreover her grip on him was getting a tad bit too strong. Did she know her own strength? Even if he was a man, pain was pain.

He began to struggle by fidgeting, hoping that it would be enough to send a message. In a mere few seconds, the Forbidden pilot knew he was overpowered in power. Of course, he could simply jam his knee into her to free himself, but extreme measures weren't needed yet. However, his current strength wasn't doing the job well. "Lunamaria… you're… hurting me…" Indeed, he was feeling very uncomfortable, yet he didn't have the heart to simply shove her off. That would be inhumane and cruel to her. Despite that, maybe he should be considering his own safety, and more so when Lunamaria opened her mouth a little involuntarily to reveal her perfectly divine, white teeth. He didn't like that sign, since that was what she always did to tease him and saying that she would bite him. Nowadays, it was her way to flirt with Shani.

"You're such an idiot!" she then screamed without warning while she raised her hand and literally slapped him across the face. Although Lunamaria did hit him hard, it wasn't to the extent where the person would faint. The blow was too significant for him; it was like as if all his hopes were shattered and broken by an uncontrollable siege. Shani fell back and Lunamaria got off him as tears flooded her eyesight. She was crying –crying pretty bad actually. "You don't know anything! Do you know how much I like you? How many times do you need me to tell you?"

Without another word (other than weeping sounds) Shani heard his door open before closing once more. He no longer sensed Lunamaria nor did he have the strength to care. Her slap still amazed him. Amongst everyone that he knew, she was really the last person that he expected that would actually hit him. Then again, his indecisiveness clearly made him deserve such a crushing blow to his confidence, pride, and most importantly conscience. Shani realized that he must have done some major idiotic thing to make her this angry. After all her affectionate touches; her initiative to spend time with him; weren't all these things a sign that she wanted him to feel the same way?

She hugged him plenty of times, and he hugged her back, too, but it wasn't the same compared to hers. Why didn't he just embrace her like she wanted him to? It wasn't like he didn't appreciate her. In fact, out of everyone that he got to know in ZAFT, he trusted Lunamaria the most. In other words, he felt like a total idiot.

He sure wasn't in much of a state to get up from his spot -not when he faced such huge defeat. Yes, Shani Andras believed that declaring forfeit was the best idea possible, and nothing else would do.

Then again, he didn't want Heine or any of his superiors to suddenly come in and make any sort of judgmental comments about him slacking off. Reality told him that any faults or errors on his behalf could result in his job position being terminated. Logic soon took over his conscience, and it didn't take too long to take Shani to pull himself back together.

Despite that he was ready to meet another day of work, Lunamaria's previous actions and expressions surely made a significant impact to his heart. Guilt was indeed an effective and very powerful tool to influence and manipulate.

To an extent, it was frightening.

_**(At the classroom)**_

"What the hell is taking Lunamaria so long?" questioned Shinn, crossing his arms while his eyes took a glance at the closed door, as if he was expecting someone to enter from it. "Damn… we shouldn't have let her talk with the Lieutenant…"

Meyrin turned around from her spot before stifling a small scowl and pout. She wanted to be nice first thing in the morning –like a lady. "You do know that onee-chan really likes him… It's only natural that she wants to talk it out as soon as possible." Shinn was not easily convinced.

"Amongst every second, every minute, every hour, why now?" he argued in a scoff. "I surely don't feel like wasting my time just sitting here waiting for our instructor. Lunamaria must be all over him now…"

Meyrin became defensive. "Don't talk about onee-chan like that! You know that her actions are pure! Pure!"

"She likes him too much," the Impulse pilot suggested as he leaned back slightly, a sneer never left him. "And for what though?"

"Oh, I like Shani, too… I wish there was someone like him for me…"

"You should've went for it then," Shinn said to encourage his friend. Meyrin shook her head to refuse his offer. "And why not?"

"Because onee-chan liked him first… and I am too young for him…" the girl even said it with a small blush in the end. That caused Shinn to sigh a bit exasperatedly, like many times in the past.

"I don't understand why so many girls like him… Is Lieutenant Andras that popular? I mean, he is a Natural for crying out loud."

"It doesn't matter if he's a Natural. I like him because he is like a brother to me, a good one as a matter of fact. Because Shani is a nice guy, Shinn," the younger Hawke sister told him dryly, "And you, Shinn Asuka, are an insensitive jerk!"

Shinn was shocked –or half shocked. He even held his heart tightly to elaborate his fake surprised look. Meyrin frowned at his insincere sincerity. "Insensitive jerk?" he said with bewilderment. "I am hurt."

"No, you're not."

"Okay, fine, I'm not hurt. How did you know?"

"You sounded too happy."

"Oh, really? I am not happy then… let's just say I am surprised."

Meyrin was indeed taking aback. "You are?" It almost sounded doubtful, in which she was.

"Yeah, and after all that we've been through, how dare you say that I am an insensitive jerk to you?" He almost made it sound like they have been dating for a while. As a matter of fact, they have been very close friends. Meyrin was tempted to laugh but her mind stayed on task instead. "Come on, how am I insensitive?"

"If you actually knew how to make a move on onee-chan when you first met her, she would've fell for you," said the red-haired Coordinator lady. "But you didn't make a one and so she thought you were a stiff man. You made a deep impact to onee-chan that you were only suitable to be a friend and no more. Onee-chan was only trying to help you from your family loss, and you totally brushed her off. Well, it's too late now."

"I don't care about that. I am not interested in Lunamaria because she is like a big sister to me and that's all. You… well, you are like my little sister who needs guidance and reassurance all the time." It was the perfect way to earn a glare, and the vampuric Coordinator jerked back hoping to avoid it. Unfortunately, nothing escaped Meyrin much to Shinn's disbelief.

At least he learned that women weren't quitters the hard way. Wasn't there a less harmful approach? Stupid women with their methods that resembled pure insanity! Then again, most men were a clueless bunch where extremely direct approaches and methods must be used in order to achieve the desire results.

"Fine," Meyrin declared as a grin softly built up on her lip. "If I am your little sister, would you care to listen to what your little sister has to say?"

"Depends on what," the Impulse pilot told her with a small hand gesture for her to continue. "Call the shot." Meyrin was more than glad to speak.

"I had a weird dream last night, Shinn…" The said Coordinator's eyes opened up a little bit more when her tone turned so soft all of a sudden. At first he really thought she was just kidding, but now it was another story. Not only were women demanding at times, they were sure unpredictable. Maybe it was why Lunamaria adored Shani so much compared to anyone else in this entire military. "It really was."

"Spill it." Those weren't the most polite words to hear, since Lunamaria would've preferred a more appropriate, kind response. From Meyrin's point of view, she thought that Shinn was in a hurry to get to another topic –in which he wasn't. "Well, aren't you going to continue with your story?"

Now, that was a clear sign of impatience. She sighed to herself knowing that was how people in this era reacted. People's attention spans have seriously decreased for the worst, and if Meyrin ever wanted to present something crucial to know the appeal ability, she was almost certain that the judges would have a clock to time her so they would make sure that not one second of their time was wasted. Each second must be filled with excitement and energy for some people, that was why so many new guns, toys, games, and even Mobile Suits were being invented and created each single day. Although no one said it out loud before, the message of "You have 1 minute to entertain me, and you would be lucky if you have my attention for 10 seconds of that minute before I want you to get lost" was clearly there.

A very horrible knowledge to have, but it was pretty much unavoidable –especially when they were in the military.

"I had a dream…"

"You said that already," remarked Shinn a tad too quickly while a small twitch appeared in his eye.

"Let me finish, yeesh…" complained Meyrin to gain back some ground. She didn't want to sound like a bitch but Shinn was too fabulous at being a bastard. "It was a beautiful dream…"

"How beautiful?"

Meyrin continued with her voice shifting from ranting to praising. Her eyes glittered with hope and joy when she recalled the desirable scenario. It had been a while since Shinn saw that innocent expression of hers, it kind of reminded him of Mayu when she was still alive. "It was a peaceful morning… I dreamt that there was a five pound marshmallow on the breakfast table, and it was all for me. It was big, it was soft, it was as white as snow… I could taste the sweetness by looking at it… it was that wonderful…" She had her hands together like a prayer, and her head was looking upward, as if she needed to thank Kami-sama for such an opportunity even though it was a dream.

"You call that beautiful?" Shinn asked her queerly. If he ever dreamed of something of that sort, what kind of shit was he on the night before? The Hawke sister merely bobbed her head up and down to justify her means of greatness, and a five pound marshmallow fitted in that category perfectly.

"I love marshmallows!" she exclaimed loudly as her body leaned forward to increase the mood of this conversation. More interaction between people always kept the spirit alive. "Didn't you know they were my favorite food?"

"I do now…" replied the Impulse pilot a little farfetched. "I don't see what was so strange about it though… was it because your fantasy finally came to life?" She shook her head to respond, and that made Shinn confused.

"I ate the marshmallow as quickly as possible because I didn't want anyone to take it. It was so yummy…" Yummy… she used the word yummy in a military facility. Shinn suggested Meyrin should use a more advanced vocabulary to match her age and her role as a soldier. As far as he was concerned, there were plenty of jackass Commanders around that would want to show off their maturity and authority to the rookies –and Academy students were rookies amongst rookies. "But…"

"But what?"

"When I woke up… my sleeping cushion was gone…" Shinn didn't take long to figure out the cruel fate of the cute cushion. His face was priceless, but more importantly he was quite shocked –his heart nearly stopped beating.

"Meyrin, you pig!" he shouted with his hand pointing at her dramatically. "You ate your-"

"Not so loud, Shinn!" she hushed him as she jammed her hand to cover his mouth. If he bothered to use his head instead of acting on his emotions, Shinn should've known that Meyrin had a reputation to keep. Just because Shinn never really gave a damn didn't mean she didn't care about her own image. To the very least he could've been considerate about it. Men, they were sure morons at a lot of times.

"Luna…" Shinn choked as Meyrin's hand pressured his lips more. "Your sister is…"

"Don't try to change the subject, Asuka!" exclaimed Meyrin as she increased her strength on him. "You are going to attack me when I let you go!"

"No…" Shinn guaranteed as he attempted to lift Meyrin's hand away. Due to gravity and his awkward position, he didn't have much luck. "Your sister is really here… Meyrin…" His outburst turned into muffles and gasps since she didn't let go. Meyrin's grin changed into a victorious one when she finally had him where she wanted, and she was more than willing to give Shinn the persistence award for lasting this long with her –only if Shinn was a good loser and delighted to accept such a reward. To her complete advantage, Shinn's resistance started to wear down, but not to an extent where Meyrin could declare herself the victor.

"Give up!" she announced profoundly at the vampiric Coordinator. "Stop changing the subject!"

"Meyrin!" a voice roared from behind. The younger Hawke sister halted immediately, as if her skin froze after the Ice Age. Stiffly, Meyrin released her pressure on him before she slowly removed her hand from Shinn's mouth. She rarely heard this tone in her life but she clearly recognized who it belonged to. She heard it just once, but once was more than enough for it to glue into her memory.

"Onee-chan…" Meyrin spoke as she frighteningly turned around knowing Lunamaria was extremely upset over something that she had no idea about. "Hello…" Shinn took this opportunity to slip himself away and gagged on the precious fresh air that he lacked for the past half a minute. To the least, he could've done it in a more passive way.

"What the hell were you doing to Shinn?" questioned Lunamaria rudely and cold. If Meyrin's memory was in check, Lunamaria was quite happy just 15 minutes ago. Now she was like the queen bitch of the universe. "How old do you think you are, 10? Kindergarten? Grow up for crying out loud!"

"What is wrong with you?" questioned Shinn to the older Hawke sister. The Impulse pilot halted and dropped a terror sweat when he noticed her icy glare of death; and Shinn was never scared of anything until this. Even Meyrin's skin stiffened at the freezing aura that was being emitted from her sister, nothing felt safe. It became worse when Lunamaria sat down on the seat with crossed arms and closed eyes. It was nearly unbearable.

"Nee-chan…" the younger girl spoke with utmost caution, and Shinn wanted to gape at her for trying to approach Lunamaria at this stage of the game. She was gambling with his life!

"What?" Her blue eyes rivaled Shani's stoic ones completely like a precedent. She showed no interest whatsoever to start a conversation but Meyrin wouldn't let that stop her from getting to the truth. Something obviously happened within that short amount of time, and although she should be minding her business, Meyrin couldn't leave this unattended.

"What did Shani say?"

"Forget him… that inconsiderate jerk… bastard…" the last words were close to a dead hiss. Her lips formed a dark sneer and a silent hurting cackle followed afterwards. Shinn and Meyrin looked at another with worry and they had no idea what to do. Her voice of laughter continued was like a chime that rung terror and pain, and it wasn't too long before Lunamaria literally broke down and cried. The other two Coordinators immediately rushed to her side without second thoughts.

"Luna!"

"Onee-chan!"

"He doesn't like me…" Lunamaria cried in her hands, "He doesn't like me at all…"

"What happened, onee-chan?" Meyrin asked worriedly as she embraced her older sister. "Did Shani say something to you? What did he say though?" Shinn looked for every opportunity to look at Lunamaria's face but he had no luck when she closed herself completely not ever wanting to open up. Although Shinn understood to an extent why his friend was in such emotional hurt, but lacking oxygen by covering her face did not do the girl much good.

"Lunamaria," said Shinn, getting a bit impatient at this crying and moping, "Snap out of it already. Nothing is going to get solved if all you're doing is sitting here and cry until God-knows-when. You're a soldier, so act like one." The product of his ingenious idea was having the magenta haired Coordinator girl wail even louder than she did a second ago. Meyrin clearly did not slow down herself to deliver a deadly scowl. Shinn just wisely shifted his eyes to temporarily avoid the gaze of death. "I was just trying to do something to make her feel better, you know."

Meyrin was not impressed with his reasoning for one second. "Well, you aren't doing anything!" The Impulse pilot wanted to look away once more but Lunamaria's cries sent him all the guilt beyond imaginable. Giving a small sigh that was almost ranting, Shinn decided to approach again with smarter ideas instead of coming up with things at random. Besides, he wasn't much of an improviser.

"Okay…" he said with a groan emitting passively, "What happened with you and Shani-san just now? And please give me a thorough answer."

"I don't want to talk about it," came Lunamaria's reply. Shinn felt his head explode with a mixture of rage, exasperation, and most importantly aggravation. There he was trying to Mister-Nice-Guy and now he was being brushed off in the most polite way possible. Damn women, why couldn't they be easier to understand instead of being complicated intentionally and deliberately?

"Then how the hell do you expect me to help you if you ain't spilling anything?" questioned Shinn, clearly annoyed. Meyrin wanted hush him up for her sister's sake but his arrogance and self-confidence forbade him to shift his behaviour. Lunamaria now turned away from the vampiric Coordinator in tears, and yet Shinn took one step in front of her before kneeling down to her level. What shocked Lunamaria was that his demonic crimson eyes leered straight into her soft blue ones, and it was considerably intimidating. Obviously, the girls did not appreciate this.

"Leave me alone, Shinn," protested the older Hawke sister, shaking Shinn off by motioning her hand repeatedly by pushing. However, he was not someone good at giving up.

"And let you sulk? Come on, get real. You know you can tell me anything."

At last, the Coordinator girl raised her head a bit more, since she found out there were some reassurances that she could fall back on. "Really, Shinn?"

"Really, Luna-chan," It was fortunate to see her grin again. At the same time, Meyrin and Shinn noticed the sadness within. Who was she trying to fool?

"I wish he would call me that… instead of Lunamaria-san all the time…"

"What did he say though? I mean… what did he do to make you cry? What, he kept calling you Lunamaria-san? Or did he do something else?"

"Shani… he… he didn't return my… love…" Lunamaria wanted to give a weird look at her sister and friend when they gasped a tad bit too louder than expected. Her eyes cringed slightly at the fact that Shinn was coughing and choking as Meyrin continued to slap the poor boy's back to make things all better. In Lunamaria's –and possibly anyone else who could be involved in this conversation- perspective, Shinn was exaggerating to a degree where it was considered unnecessary, and very irritating. Then again, seeing the vampiric Coordinator having such a level of energy was rare. Cherishing due to witnessing was the best solution. "What?"

"Did you tell him that you love him? Do you really feel that way towards him, onee-chan?"

"Yeah," agreed Shinn, and his cough magically disappeared. "You can't be wrong about these things, Luna. You sure this isn't one of your girlish infatuations?"

"I don't know what else to believe… he makes my heart beat like no other man could… he makes me feel so special and loved… I really do think that it's love… you know it's really unexplainable, ne?" Meyrin looked at her sister understandingly where as Shinn had doubts about what his friend just told him. Stealing a glimpse around the room, the Impulse pilot was glad to find that everyone was minding their own business –that was what he hopefully thought all his fellow classmates were doing. More importantly, they could not afford to allow anyone to know what sort of personal affections Lunamaria had for their Lieutenant. These facts alone were sufficient to start not only misunderstandings but more crucial and non-beneficial rumours that could be used against her. Putting his hand on the older Hawke sister's shoulder, Shinn figured that being more sympathetic would be best.

"You love him?" the vampiric Coordinator inquired genuinely. He gave a small sigh when Lunamaria's answer was a simple nod. "But did you tell him?" He blinked with honest surprise when she responded by shaking her head sideways in a slow fashion. Shinn took a close observation of her fragile form for a second, and his own male intuition continued to believe that she wasn't lying. "Okay… if you didn't tell him how you felt… what did you do?" To his surprise, Lunamaria moved her head before she looked away from him fully. What Meyrin and Shinn caught from her was nothing but guilt and shame.

"Onee-chan… can you please answer Shinn?" suggested Meyrin, holding her older sister's hand before squeezing it to give some guarantees of security. "It will be okay."

"I… I got angry when he still decided to leave for earth…" began Lunamaria as slow as possible but not to an extent where it was considered annoying. However, Shinn's patience was starting to drain quickly due to this and fortunately Meyrin's small scowl straightened him up well. To his dismay, Shinn was forced to be a good listener for a several long minutes, and this was a deliberate action to destroy his character.

"And?" Shinn gestured her to go on and stop the irritating stalling. He even motioned his hands in agitation to prove his point, as if he had a thesis that was desperately needed to be shown off to the professors of typical universities.

"I… I got angry…"

He rolled his eyes along with a sigh. "You said that already."

"Shinn!" scolded Meyrin while the said Coordinator shook it off casually, and pretending that he saw nothing of that sort. No doubt he got the younger Hawke sister infuriated for the Nth time today. Meyrin quickly reevaluated her male friend: Insensitive and a jerk.

"And I slapped him." There, she said it. The results Lunamaria achieved were two Coordinators gawking in stun. She was scared. Well, scared was such an extreme word, maybe it was more of… surprised. "Guys… don't look at me like that… I know I was stupid… but just thinking about him going to earth really made me angry…"

"But you slapped him," repeated Shinn bluntly. "Like… what the hell did you think you were doing?"

"I told you I was an idiot just now, Shinn!"

"No, you are missing the principle here, Lunamaria," corrected Shinn as he took the liberty to be take on an expert role. "You don't slap a guy under most circumstances unless you are his girlfriend, his wife, or he really did something that deserved to be hit. And if I remember, you aren't any of those. You just like him-"

Lunamaria intervened quickly. "I love him, Shinn, I am in love with him."

"You're just infatuating. I'll just get to the point. I think that Lieutenant Shani is quite pissed off…"

"That's only an understatement…" the female magenta haired Coordinator stated hopelessly. Her hands cupped her saddened face next to her cheeks, and a regretful moan escaped her lips as she recalled how deadly stunned Shani was when she struck him in her emotional outrage. Why was she so stupid as to do such a thing? Sometimes she really cursed herself for being a woman to be so emotional –and her monthlies weren't the most idealistic process to go through either.

"I think you should apologize to him, onee-chan," Meyrin implied quietly to avoid attention. Shinn and Lunamaria immediately turned their heads towards her, therefore, causing the poor girl to flush up in extortion. Lunamaria seemed to be bewildered.

"Are you crazy?" shouted the older sister before she chose to lower her voice just a bit. "I can't do that!"

"And why not?"

"Because he's mad at me…"

"Shani wouldn't be that mad," said Meyrin, trying to be optimistic. "Besides… Shani doesn't seem like a person who holds grudges."

"We don't know that… I mean, I slapped him," explained Lunamaria, recapping what she did before. "Even if he is easy going, it would be hard not for him to have personal negativity towards me…"

"Then we will come with you," Shinn offered his services and kindness for the best interest of his friend. "I am sure Shani would be mature enough to understand your… previous pathetic, disgraceful acts of immaturity that did not go unnoticed." Lunamaria just gave off a glare to shut him up. "Fine, I think Shani would be considerate enough to understand your views. This time, admit it to him before you… well, if you are ever going to hit him that is." He then stood up from his spot and stretched out his hand to aid her where as the girls watched him confusedly. "Come, let's go now."

"Now?" asked the two Hawke sisters in unison, and very astounded to hear his sudden idea. Shinn nodded at their question with a raised brow. He clearly expected immediate agreement instead of questioning looks. The Impulse pilot scanned their faces as his own visage hardened to reinforce his exterior a little bit.

"But don't we have class though?" reminded Meyrin as she looked at the door and the room but Shani was still not here yet.

"Screw that, Meyrin," said the Impulse pilot in a hurry, "Besides, Shani isn't here and we would be just doing review stuff for the exam. It doesn't really matter now if we ditch, you know, I mean… we should be studying but we don't need to do it here. I say we look for that guy instead of you moping around here in your pathetic display of guilt." Once more, a scowling stare was flashed his way, in which Shinn "dodged" it by turning away at the correct time with the most calm, casual expression plastered grimly on his face. Lunamaria felt her fist twitch, literally.

In less than a split second, the three Coordinators managed to slip out of the room without anyone noticing –to the least they didn't think they were seen.

Oblivious to them, Heine was merely ten feet behind them when those three teens turned left after exiting. The Faith Member watched their retreating forms with a raised brow as his lips stretched a natural smirk. From what he could gather, Heine safely assumed they were looking for Shani. It was going to be most unfortunate when they would not find the designated Extended when they reach the office, since Shani already took the time to talk about his dilemma with Heine just now.

_And I was going to tell the class that their class was going to be cancelled… Teens… they always act on impulse…_

**_(Later)_**

"Yo!" Shinn yelled as he banged on the door that gave way to the Lieutenant's office ever so repeatedly. To make matters worse, the Coordinator was striking the coated metal door harder after each strike. "Open up! I know you are in there! Shani Andras! Open up!"

"Shinn!" scolded Lunamaria as her right arm caught his right wrist to prevent any more ruckus that was being created. The Impulse pilot winced slightly at the grip that she used on him. "This is a military facility if you actually bother use your head. People will start to come here thinking that we are under attack."

"Come on, this office is in one of the quietest parts of this place, and no one is ever going to come here."

Meyrin chose to step in. "And it's because it's so quiet that people will get freaked out when it gets loud. What, you want us to suffer from military punishment before we are fully enlisted?"

"Well, he ain't opening up despite my efforts," Shinn protested quickly.

"Maybe he isn't in there, genius?" suggested Lunamaria dryly and to the point. Shinn felt humiliated right on the spot as the colour red crawled over all over his cheeks and face like a wild spread disease. "I'm going in." Her fingertips were going to press the button that opened the door, and no one stopped her until it was too late. Although the door took less than that of a second to completely open, it was too long for Lunamaria to take. The moment the door was fully done shifting from left to right, Lunamaria instantly stepped in with the other following her shortly behind. "Shani…"

Meyrin and Shinn didn't take long to scan the entire office just once, and once was more than enough to know that Shani was not in this room. The Impulse pilot sure thought he was an idiot for banging on the door so long and no one was even in here. He could've taken care of his hand instead of totally wasting it on something so unnecessary –not like he would admit that to Lunamaria or Meyrin, since he needed his pride savoured. "Well, well, well, look what we got here," commented Shinn as his right hand was brought upon his right hip fashionably, "He isn't here… what joy…" Meyrin looked somewhat down, but Lunamaria appeared worse.

"Do you think he got so mad that he decided not to see us?" questioned the magenta haired lady. Shinn merely shook that suggestion away to her surprise.

"He doesn't even know that we are coming, you know," replied Shinn, sounding a bit agitated that his target was missing in action where he strongly thought that he was present. "Damn it… should we look around the room?" That sudden plan caused the two girls to eye him suspiciously.

"This is not our office, Shinn," reminded Meyrin, clearly knowing where her limits were. She was definitely sober, and Shinn was obviously someone that couldn't mind his own business at times. "Let's get out of here." However, the Impulse pilot was not too convinced or even a bit persuaded by her limited amount of reasoning.

"Maybe we can find out where he went,"

"Shani doesn't put spy cameras around this place," Lunamaria told him directly, as if Shinn was a mentally retarded patient that required much more elaboration to understand simple matters. "You won't be able to find anything." By this time, Shinn was already in front of Shani's desk while looking at something that captured his attention rather quickly. Seconds later, Lunamaria and Meyrin also became curious as to why Shinn was being quiet and his features and body language told them that he was reading something on the spot. What could be that fascinating to completely drag Shinn's mind away from reality this effectively?

"Shinn…" called the younger Hawke sister worriedly. Her voice almost cracked but luckily she managed to keep it as firm as possible.

"I think I've found a solution so you could see Shani after we graduate, Luna," the vampiric Coordinator suddenly said as he turned around with a genuinely hopeful smile. Lunamaria was half shocked and half delighted when she heard it but she did not understand what he meant at all. Before she managed to think of a question, Shinn snatched the several pieces of paper from the desk before handing it safely to her hands. Meyrin also chose to get more involved as she read with her sister. Although they did not say anything, Shinn's confident smirk grew more when the girls' brows raised up detectably after reading a several paragraphs. By the time they finished the last page, the Impulse pilot knew there was still hope for Lunamaria.

Needless to say, Lunamaria would not give up Shani to anybody, and his official transfer information gave the three Coordinators the knowledge to plan out the perfect pursuit.

**_(4 days later at PLANT's Central Spaceport)_**

He didn't really know how to feel at the moment. After weeks of being a Lieutenant, Shani grew fond of his position and his students. At first, he had no intention whatsoever to enjoy his work, since he believed that taken on the role as a soldier was more of an obligation instead of wholeheartedness. He was a soldier to set things right, but in the end he found out how much he had learned being an instructor. His students learned much more from outside the bun, and he was proud of what he had done.

Most importantly, he had the privilege to meet Shinn Asuka, Meyrin Hawke, and especially Lunamaria Hawke. Sadly enough, he was going to leave them for a lengthy period of time. Shani would miss Shinn's minor arrogant attitude and friendly talks; he would no longer be able to understand women better with the help of Meyrin; and Lunamaria… Lunamaria was his saviour in a way. Not only was she the most affectionate and honest girl he met, she had made his darkest hours into the brightest minutes. Stellar was no exception either. Her grace, her majestic smiles, her sincerity were more than enough for him. When he needed someone to talk to, Lunamaria was always there. Even when he didn't need a hug, a simple embrace that she gave him occasionally made him feel special, as if he was worth being alive than a mere Extended that only served the purpose to pilot a mobile suit.

He had hurt her, he knew that much, and he still didn't say that he was sorry. It wasn't due to pride, no, Shani was much more compassionate and understanding than that, but the awkwardness of being initiative under these circumstances got in his way. The Forbidden pilot needed to be honest with himself here, did he prefer to see Lunamaria Hawke (his great, admirable friend) smile again or did he rather save himself from any means of getting farfetched with her? What was the right thing to do? He just wished that he committed something that did not lead to affection because he didn't even know if he should be taking such chances.

In a battle, Shani was a natural risk-taker; Stellar and Crot could back up that statement. In this case, it was not the same.

He didn't want to hurt her ever, but by not doing anything productive to solve the conflict only created more gaps in their friendship. The Forbidden pilot was disgusted at himself for avoiding undeniable problems that needed to be dealt with ASAP.

Guilt seared through his conscience when he stole a glimpse at that special Coordinator this time around. Here he was, at the spaceport, and in a several minutes he would be in the shuttle to return to North Kyoto to see all his new friends that he made after the war. And despite that he was still hurting Lunamaria for not returning her genuine affection, she was here to see him off along with Meyrin and Shinn. If he wanted a good definition of a real friend, Lunamaria showed him what it took to be one.

That sweetness she contained in her grin bugged him to no end for it seemed so forced and unreal. Actually, it wasn't because it looked forced that confused him, it was due to the fact that it looked all too sincere, and it almost appeared like she was truly happy with no worries at all. Was she trying to hide it or was she for real? Women were potential manipulators, he learned that to the very least during his short stay.

"So, you are really going, aren't you?" asked Lunamaria, a little sadly but kept a grin nonetheless. Shani was so caught in his philosophy and thinking that he didn't notice her question until he suddenly noticed the charming girl a foot in front of him with a pink blush started to paint on her cute cheeks. She emitted an innocent giggle when the Forbidden pilot literally took a step back at the unexpected action. Shinn and Meyrin controlled their own chuckles well from behind their Lieutenant.

"Lunamaria, don't scare me like that," said Shani, wiping his forehead as he put down his luggage on the ground.

"Don't be so mean, Shani," teased the magenta haired girl teasingly while sticking out her tongue cutely. "You know how much I like to see you being surprised. It tells me that I am doing a good job."

The Forbidden pilot sighed at her carefree nature before he rubbed his forehead like an itch erupted from that spot. "If I knew you were so mean, then I wouldn't have spent so many nights chatting with you until dawn." Lunamaria, to his surprise, was unaffected. He knew that when her smile became more appealing.

"If we didn't talk so much," she began as she took the liberty to take his hand in hers before she played with it by massaging soothingly. Her voice matched that of a lover and true admirer. "I wouldn't have known so much about you, and you wouldn't have known that much about me. I thought those times were a gift that was worth sharing to me, and I know you like me too much not to be there for me…"

Shani became more vigilant, therefore, it was mandatory to choose his words carefully. "Luna…"

"And I like you too much not to care about you, too, Shani." Okay, he knew he had to change the topic instead of sticking on this one. His perfect reason would be that Shinn and Meyrin were here, and their personal relationship/friendship did not need to spread to anyone else. Once again, her simple actions and openings tempted Shani to take her soft, delicate, loving lips to a blissful kiss. If it was him who kissed her, Lunamaria would not mind for one second. For being someone 18, he cursed his hormones for reacting at such a wrong time when his self-control and consciousness needed to dominate. This girl deserved to be kissed, he made that order clear to himself, and he surely wanted to tell her how much he admired her. Merely imagining himself taking her right then and there in a lovely blissful kiss would meet his satisfaction superbly.

"Ano… Lunamaria…" he said, attempting to shift the subject to something else. However, he was out of ideas. "Um… Ano…"

"What?" she inquired lovingly as she found a spot in his sentence for her to take the right to step a bit closer, therefore, her body was completely in contact with his. If she snaked her arms around him at this point Lunamaria could give a good, long embrace with her breasts feeling his chest to seduce him. Her gracefulness (alongside with her intentional charm and beauty) was something strikingly mysterious, yet it was one attribute that was worth admiring to Shani. "You know you can tell me anything." He meant too much to her; that was undeniable.

"Are you guys going back to the military after this?" asked Shani as his hands comfortably rested on her hips. Lunamaria's expression brightened immediately when he touched her in the right place, and Shani knew exactly what to do and say to make her smile like none other. When she slowly gave a silent look of delight, Shani wanted to conceal the blush that was coming up on his cheekbones. However, his efforts were in vain when Lunamaria laughed divinely before a charming look grazed her features.

"We are going back to school," said Meyrin in behalf of everyone while Shani was honestly surprised at her answer. "I think it's better for us to be more beneficial to society than military."

"But wasn't that the reason why you joined ZAFT to begin with?"

Shinn decided to move in, knowing that Meyrin was going to break their little act if she was too sincere about this conversation. Shinn wasn't trying to be a liar, and on the contrary, he was going to share another issue that was valued enough to debate about. "We agree with you said, Shani, we did initially joined ZAFT due to the war. In order to save ourselves, the military provided us with all the security we could ever wanted. With the war over, I would want to return to whatever I prefer to do in life. I think the three of us would go to an academy in PLANT."

"Quite reasonable," commented Shani as he felt his neck gradually became warmer by something soft. He realized that the affectionate Coordinator encircled her arms around his neck without knowing; and that smile of hers practically demanded permission. Meyrin giggled lowly when Shani needed her assistance most, she obviously wasn't going to spoil her sister's fun at this last moment of bonding. "Lunamaria…"

"Please, let me hold you just a bit longer," protested the girl whining a little while her hand tightened further and pulling him in to experience the warmth coming from her body. There was a bit of hesitation at first but her appreciating look softened his heart before persuading him to follow her lead. He temporarily moved his hands away from her hips as he carefully moved his arms around her soft back before embracing her passionately. Lunamaria's face reddened instantly and her body heated up coordinately in a chain. His cheek was in contact with right one, and by moving her eyes a little bit to her right her blush deepened when she witnessed a handsome Shani Andras with his eyes closed while enjoy her presence.

Lunamaria thought she melted.

"Lunamaria," called the Forbidden pilot as he disrupted her pleasant daydream.

"Hmmm?" she murmured with involuntary endearment, and which Shani almost felt guilty for having to release her. She frowned knowing what he was going to say, but she was considerate and did let him free. The moment they broke apart, Shani couldn't help but to detect how cold this facility really was while lacking Lunamaria's sweet scented warmth. He was sure that she felt the same way. The Forbidden pilot really hated seeing Lunamaria face without a smile; he could admit that much out loud not having to believe it was a hindrance of any sort. Shani thought he there was no need to resort to this at first but his philosophy regrettably decided to fail on him.

Lunamaria's cheeks warmed up again but not due to blushing. She felt delighted when a pair of hands feathered her cheeks a little before the person pulled her head forward into someone's firm lips. She was too overwhelmed to do anything when she recognized it was Shani, why didn't he indicate that he was trying to kiss her earlier? At least he could've given her a sign to prepare herself for this when she anticipated for so long. Then again, it was his unpredictable nature that she adored. Relaxing, Lunamaria readied herself to accept his love.

Unfortunately, when she tried to kiss him back by opening her mouth to take control of his own Shani retracted. She wondered why Shani didn't say anything although it was only a long peck on the lips, her cheeks (to her annoyance) was still radiant brightly as she touched it with her own hand. Despite that Lunamaria caught the high amount of heat being emitted, her eyes only focused on Shani –who had his left side of his face visible to her. In other words, Lunamaria could not see how he was feeling. However, she was no fool at reading emotions, since she safely assumed her lover was too shy to explain what he did.

Shinn and Meyrin kept a compassionate smile before looking at another happily –happy for the fact that Lunamaria was finally happy. Shani approached Meyrin and Shinn soon after his little event with Lunamaria before he took Shinn's hand and shook it where as he gave Meyrin a small kiss on the cheek and a hug. In all honesty, Shani wanted to cry knowing that he would leave these good friends of his.

"Take care… Lieutenant…" said the younger Hawke sister and she broke the embrace slowly, as if she wa cherishing the moment, and which she was. Her smile widened slightly when Shani nodded back.

"You better not do anything stupid while you're down there," commented Shinn, slapping his leader's back to catch his attention.

"I am not that much of an idiot," replied Shani, smirking as a "friendly" glint appeared in his eye. "I heard from Lunamaria that you banged on my door so hard that you hurt your hand a little. And I wasn't even in there." Lunamaria and Meyrin fought a snort immediately as Shinn's pride was shot down hard. "Got anything to justify yourself, my friend?"

"I hate you…" the Impulse pilot stated before he broke out into chuckles.

"Yeah, I do, too,"

"Get out of here!"

"Hai, hai…"

"Shani…" he heard the Coordinator girl call him quietly. Timidity dripped in every corner of her voice.

Shani turned around to see Lunamaria's cute face one more time, "What?"

"I will miss you…" she admitted sincerely.

"I'll miss you, too, Lunamaria…" Shani told her with equal amount of genuineness, and she flushed up shyly at the sight of his loveliness. "And Shinn… and Meyrin, of course…"

"I…" she continued as her hands were making knots behind her back. "I'm sorry…"

"For what?"

"For slapping you before…"

"It's okay, Lunamaria," he said as she protested it about how foolish she was. "I think I would be pretty angry if the person I like was acting like an idiot…"

"You're not an idiot, Shani," she assured him as she brought her hand to hold his cheek before caressing caringly. "You're never an idiot…"

"It's people like you that make me want to stay…"

"I don't want you to go…" she whispered, desperately wanting her way with him.

"But I have to… We will always be friends, Lunamaria, and I won't forget you. Thank you for everything, I would not have know what to do without you." Much to his dismay, his watch started to beep. Meyrin, Shinn, and Lunamaria took one small step back as the alarm rung. "I'm already later than I thought… I really have to get going…"

"Shani…"

He turned towards the gates with wretchedness and regret. "Sorry, Lunamaria… I have to get going. Take care of yourselves…" Not saying another word, Lunamaria pretty much wanted to weep when she continued to see him walk further and further away from her. She knew that it would hurt her greatly to see her lover go, but her mind refused to listen. She watched him until he flashed his ticket to the guard, and finally disappearing from her sight range.

Tears threatened to fall when he left at last, and it was followed by Lunamaria falling on her knees in despair. Shinn, despite that he saw that Lunamaria was about to cry, grabbed the back of her collar before yanking her back up on her feet. "Teme…" he said with an exasperated look, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Can't you see that I want to cry?" questioned the magenta haired girl harshly and her stare was quite venomous. Shinn was not that skilled to dodge this one, therefore, he jolted.

"For what? It's not like we aren't going to see him again. Remember, you shouldn't be crying because we are heading to earth, too. That is why we packed our stuff."

"Should we get going to our hangar now?" Meyrin inquired. Lunamaria and Shinn smiled as they nodded to agree. In a matter of moments, the three Coordinators went back to Shinn's temporary van and took out their own belongings, in which they lied to Shani earlier saying that it was for a camping trip, before they reached their own designated gate. The workers demanded the shuttle ticket in order to pass, and the three teens casually showed it.

Everything was going according to plan. Lunamaria anticipated the next moment to see Shani with high hopes, wondering how he would react when he saw her again. Her nimble fingers felt her lips once more, wanting to remember the short kiss he gave her less than 15 minutes ago. His lips were what she desired, she thirsted for it, and she immediately made a pact to herself promising that she would kiss him back thoroughly and lovingly during their next encounter. Just thinking about him made her cheeks burn, and her heart felt better every minute. Lunamaria truly believed that she was in love, in love with an Extended by the name of Shani Andras.

Meanwhile on earth, a female Extended pulled another Extended out of his deep sleep, and yelling at him for sleeping in late when she waited so long for this day for someone special to her to return despite it was only 2 to 3 short weeks. When the male groggily stood back up, the girl literally pushed him into the bathroom as she commanded him to be quick about it while she made the final preparations to leave their home. With all the chaos of getting ready and begging to get permission to use Athrun's car, the duo miraculously managed rushed out of their home and drove to the spaceport while speeding during the entire trip.

She waited too long for this, and she would not miss this for anything in the world. Nothing could ever compare to the importance to meet Shani Andras again.

_**Final AN: Yes, Shani, Lunamaria, Shinn, and Meyrin are going back to earth to North Kyoto. Obviously, Shani doesn't know. You can expect a lot of chaos when all of them are in the same town, and with Stellar in the picture, it would be absolutely outrageous. Expect a lot of ShinnStellar later on, especially when Shinn develops feelings for her but the girl likes someone else when he tries to tell her how much he admires her. Hope you can wait for it.**_

**_As for the other pairings, they will be there, too. Did I tell you how much I hate Kira and Lacus? Their relationship in Destiny is unreal. It's like, we see no development between them, and they are suddenly perfect, as if they are telling society that is how relationships bloom. Each person don't do any shit and it can be perfect. In life, does real love grow by not doing anything? I think not. What the hell is that? What sort of message is Gundam Seed Destiny sending us? Crap, that's what! I hate writing about them because everything is always fine in the anime and in the manga. It's ridiculous. I truly hate Kira, because he makes everything so boring and unrealistic. Lacus, too._**

**_Next update will obviously take place after a month or so. If some miracle happens, I hope to be in front of a PC and type a several thousand words of my next chapter. If not, then we all have to wait unfortunately. Please don't stone me to death for not being able to update, I don't want this to happen either._**

**_If you are comfortable with leaving me a review, it would be so great despite if it's criticism or sincere comments. I look forward to write better in the future! See you all again soon. _**


	9. Destiny's 3 Shinn's

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_Interlude Chapter 8.5: Destiny's 3 Shinns._

Disclaimer: Hey, hey, hey, hey! Smoke weed everyday! I mean, I don't own Seed.

_**AN: I am terribly sorry for not updating! I have been busy these days, yeah, I got work right after I came back from HK, and it had been a tremendous pain in the ass to sit in front of the computer and right sometimes. In other words, it had been tiring for these past 2 months. Also, because the summer is going to be over really soon, I have been trying to complete all the MG (Master Grade) Gundams that I received from my uncle. All I have finished are 1/100 Sword Impulse Gundam and 1/100 Destiny Gundam… damn, I have lots of work to do.**_

**_There is another reason why I didn't update so soon. I am more or less disgusted about the entire series in general. Of course, I don't let things go unnoticed, and so I have made this special chapter to show my immoral outrage in Shinn's perspective. _**

**_This whole chapter was pretty much inspired by Dave Chapelle's drama of "My 3 Daves" I saw a while ago on the Comedy Network. I found it quite hilarious personally, and so I decided to use this to display a more understandable version of Shinn Asuka._**

**_The actual 9th chapter is actually half done so far, and it should be complete by next week –given if I have the patience and time to do it. Just don't forget that I am still very involved this piece of work of mine, and I won't simply give up on it._**

_**Enjoy!**_

_Special Interlude: Destiny's 3 Shinns (where readers know all about Shinn Asuka outside of GSD) _

Hey, I'm Shinn Asuka. A vast majority of you should know who I am. You know, Impulse Gundam pilot (now Destiny Gundam), Stellar Loussier's lover, Lunamaria Hawke's admirer, and supposedly the main character of Gundam Seed Destiny. You can say that Seed Destiny right now is messed up beyond recognition in terms of finding and creating a decent storyline, and also they replaced my position as main character with Kira Yamato. Well, what can I do about it? Nothing, that's what! Am I pissed? I'm in no position to do much right now until the animators and creators are willing to give me some humanity back. Anyway, that's not why I am here.

Instead of looking at me as someone who appears to be a cold-blooded bastard whose existence is to hate, hate, and hate, I believe it's important for you all to know a little bit more about Shinn Asuka -which is me. You all know that I am a troubled adolescent at the age of 16. Between the ages of 10 to present day life (which is 16), Shinn Asuka has gone through a several stages in life that created a several personas. Rather, it was these changes that gave me different perspectives in life. One was at the age of 10, the other 13, and the last one at 16.

When I was 10 years old, wimpy described me all too well. Also, my mind was so innocent that if my mother and father told me I was bought to them by a stork, I would've considered it the truth. In other words; an idiot. Age 13… I was such a crazy, mean bastard that my parents believed that wolves and savages raised me –not to mention being ahead of myself all too often and getting myself into a lot of shit. Present life… I am sure the crowd and Lunamaria can tell my combat ways is overly gruesome and violent, and merciless. So vile, so great that it could overpower my beloved will to make love. Moreover… I am kinda willing for sex…

What I need to show you all is what those 3 Shinn's going to do at different situations that are given to them. Clearly, different age Shinns will have alternating opinions and different outcomes. Let's see what 10-year-old Shinn will say and do when he attempts to solve the problem of cheering up his little sister, Mayu Asuka.

* * *

10-year-old Shinn _(tries to approach Mayu)_: Mayu-chan, come on, don't be like this. I will give you candy if you talk to me. Hey, I can even treat you to Macdonald's. Oh, please talk to me, Mayu! _(she turns away)_ Mayu, be reasonable… we can play tag outside… I'll buy you a cellphone-

* * *

What a prickity bitch! I was referring to myself of course… I'm not even going to show you the ending to that story. You know that ugly, old, bitchy cellphone that I carry without ever needing to recharge the battery, yeah, I got that for Mayu because I wanted her to talk to me. She was already materialistic bitch at 6 years old… and I am at complete fault!

Let's see what 13-year-old Shinn would've done in the same situation.

* * *

13Yr Shinn _(enters the living room)_: Hello, Mayu.

Mayu: Oh, hi, Shinn…

Shinn: Sad?

Mayu: Yeah…

Shinn: What did you do? Let me guess, you were being a bitch?

Mayu _(dryly_): Shut up.

Shinn: I found this to cheer you up. _(Gives her a Ziploc bag filled with white stuff)_

Mayu _(takes it from him)_: What's the occasion?

Shinn: Don't know. All I know is that I found this in dad's drawer.

Mayu: What is this though? Is this cocaine?

Shinn: You'll thank me on your wedding day.

* * *

Now that's more like it, folks. As for the cocaine, well, Mayu managed to find whoever was the person who possessed it. What a lucky little bitch, and I really thought dad was sniffing those things… Damn it, I missed my chance! Cocaine is such a good thing _(like wine_)… you could use it when you're happy, and need it when you're depressed. If I had it within my possession, I think I would sniff it everyday. Wow, Shinn Asuka as a druggie, and I am doing it willingly!

Anyway, let's move on to the responsible, respectable, loyal ZAFT member, and Destiny Gundam pilot at the age of 16.

* * *

Mayu _(in panic_): Shinn! Shinn! Come here quick!

16YR Shinn _(enters the living room_): What is it, Mayu?

Mayu: I am in so much trouble!

Shinn: What did you do?

Mayu: I made the TV explode…

Shinn: How did you make it do that?

Mayu: I was drinking root beer… and then I accidentally tripped and spilled all over the TV…

Shinn: Poor TV

Mayu: What are we going do now? Mom is going to kill us!

Shinn: No… in fact, she won't, Mayu.

Mayu: Why not?

Shinn: She's going to kill you.

Mayu: Don't do this to me, Shinn! I really need you to help me!

Shinn: What do you WANT me to do then?

Mayu: Anything!

Shinn _(exasperated)_: Fine, there is one thing.

Mayu: What, what? What is that? Please, just tell me something.

Shinn: Lie.

Mayu _(confused and cocks a brow slightly)_: What?

Shinn: You know, you lie.

Mayu: Lie?

Shinn: Lie.

Mayu: But it doesn't seem truthful, you know… like… I feel that it's wrong…

Shinn: That's why we call it a "lie".

Mayu _(in realization)_: Ohh….

_**(Moments later)**_

Shinn: So, how did it go?

Mayu _(angrily)_: I hope you're happy!

Shinn: How come?

Mayu: I got grounded because I lied to mom! That's what!

Shinn: You didn't get grounded for lying.

Mayu: Then what is it, genius? Of course I got punished for lying! And it's your damn fault!

Shinn: No, you got grounded for lying badly.

Mayu: You bitch!

* * *

That's right, Shinn Asuka is a jerk when it comes to conversations with women. Hell, the only women that I actually had a good time talking to were Stellar, Meyrin, and of course my precious Lunamaria. I am beginning to see how being picked on actually feels like, since Lunamaria does it to me ever so frequently before we became lovers.

A lot of people want to know how I do things compared to Kira. Aside from the fact that I always aim for the cockpit in MS battles, people want to understand how I treat others in real life. Lunamaria ever so kindly explained once what kind of ignorant, arrogant, and overconfident bitch I was in the military during a rookie. I picked fights with soldiers and instructors alike; I was pretty much a living devil in human existence. Hey, she's right, and I still have that bitchy trait in me today, well, for the most part. That was her opinion and views, and I am sure you all want to know MY own words and sincerity.

What would my reaction be if I ever meet Sting, Stellar, and Auel in person outside the battlefield? 10 year old me, show them what I would do.

* * *

10Yr Shinn: Help! _(Turns away and run)_ I want my mommy!

* * *

Okay… that was so ugly that I nearly thought I was gay… How did I ever survive as a sissy? You thought that was bad, I am sure 13-year-old me could redeem himself well.

* * *

13Yr Shinn: Oh, you think you look so tough with your short green haircut? You wanna mess, bitch? Yeah, I'm talking to you!

Sting _(confused)_: Do I know you?

Shinn: Come on, bring it!

Sting: Sorry, kid, I have no reason to fight you.

Auel: That bastard is nuts, Sting. Let's go.

13Yr Shinn: What, you running away from me you blue haired freak? You scared that your mommy would kick your ass for being a bad boy? You got nothing!

Auel _(turns back slowly)_: What did you say?

13Yr Shinn: You heard me, bitch! I said your mom-

Auel: I'll kill you, bastard! _(rushes at Shinn before socking him in the face)_

Sting: Auel!

Stellar: Stellar doesn't like Auel fighting…

Auel: Eat foot, you mother-hater!

Sting: This could get kind of ugly… I don't think you should watch this, Stellar…

Stellar: Why is Auel so angry, Sting?

Sting: Let's say his mother is a great person.

Stellar: Then Auel should kill this meanie!

Shinn: ARRGH! _(gets kicked in the ribs before a punch aims for the face)_ Someone call 911!

* * *

Pathetic, yes, but at least I tried to hold my ground… Okay, I was only looking for trouble… damn, that was ugly… That's two strikes in a row, let's hope 16 year old me knows how to strike a home run.

* * *

Shinn: I love your breasts, Stellar.

Stellar: Why does Shinn like Stellar's breasts?

Shinn: Because they were the first things I touched when I found your near the shopping districts. They were so soft and touchable…

Stellar: Shinn shouldn't touch those… forbidden areas…

Shinn: But you liked it, right?

Stellar: _(shyly) _Yes… Stellar liked it…

Shinn: Then can I do it again?

Stellar: _(turns serious) _I don't usually say this… NO, PERVERT! _(slaps him across the face)

* * *

_

Whenever Stellar uses 'I' (or watashi wa in Japanese) to refer to herself instead of 'Stellar', I should know that she is angry and very serious. Maybe that's why she chose to die instead of living… No one in the right mind would want to live to be groped everyday, it's only understand and definitely respectable. It wasn't like she had any other choice aside from choosing the cowardly death….

Stellar's death still angers me greatly today. Although I love Lunamaria Hawke with all my heart, I believe that Stellar Loussier's death should have been prevented. She loved me, and then that special someone left me after that lonely battle. Neo could have not let Stellar battle, but Freedom Gundam was most at fault for not listening to my requests –especially when he knew nothing about Stellar. What made the situation even more unforgivable was how the pilot (Kira Yamato) was responsible for the death of my whole family. He just keeps taking each of my precious people one after another… like an infectious germ that destroys people's emotions, and never ceases to get out of their lives.

Why couldn't he just realize and accept that he is not appreciated for his fake justice? Athrun wasn't, and I was not easily swayed either.

This brings up the topic of Strike Freedom Gundam. Up to this point, that Gundam's existence is not only a mystery, it's a nuisance. I mean, we all know Destiny and Legend were made in Mobile Suit factories in PLANT, or Dullindal would not have been able to store it within one of his secured MS shelters. Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice (on the other hand) appeared out of nowhere.

Am I supposed to believe that Eternal had the technology to make those 2 suits? I need a lot more that that to be convinced. That is nothing but a battleship, not a laboratory where they could research MS parts or additional upgrades, and then suddenly (and miraculously) know how to discover them and shockingly have everything prepared. There are no such things as miracles that happen without any work put into them, just like you can't expect someone to like you if you never bothered to do any shit to earn their love.

It is like Mission Impossible, but the mission was all too possible –and probably too easy to achieve.

There is only one reason why such unrealistic results happen, and my philosophy is fairly simple. It because, just because…

* * *

Lacus _(making a sly smile and making small continuous 'come' hand motions at the audience_): I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch.

* * *

This bitch, Lacus Clyne, is the reason to all of problems regarding the war. In addition, she also has relations to all the unrealistic and unexplainable shit that erupts from every corner. Does she think that because she has pink hair that she is automatically perfect? Her reasoning is this:

* * *

Lacus _(making a sly smile and making small continuous 'come' hand motions at the audience_): I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch.

* * *

When Destiny, Legend, Strike Freedom, and Infinite Justice were finally completed, Lacus Clyne ordered the Eternal –along with her pricky manual slave laboring fools/loyal zealots- to hijack 2 of the new suits. Their act was no different from those of the EAF who stole Chaos, Gaia, and Abyss, but Lacus Clyne insisted that her actions were "right". What was so different between her and the EAF? Nothing, that's what! Since when was stealing the right thing?

In fact, all she does IS steal from people, and then she claims the stolen things as rightfully hers! To increase more rage and disbelief, Lacus Clyne dares to say that everything she did was undeniably correct, and what pisses me off greatly is how she actually gets away with it! If I were the chairman, I would execute her –in which I plan to do if I ever meet her in person.

What kind of values was she pretending to have? Did she believe twisting the obvious could make everyone's hearts follow?

It was pathetic, but people thought she was doing it for the betterment of humanity. What a bitch… How did she ever get away with this? It wasn't too hard to believe when she used this to justify herself:

* * *

Lacus _(making a sly smile and making small continuous 'come' hand motions at the audience_): I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch.

* * *

So forth, Eternal –flying in a linear straight line- headed towards the PLANT colony that the Chairman designated for developing the 4 new Gundams. PLANT's detection system clearly spotted them the instant we detected unknown ship signature, and it wasn't all too difficult to spot a pink ship. No ship should be pink as far as I was concerned, but Lacus Clyne always had a liking for lame, out-of-style, and bitchy colours. Therefore, we allowed it to slide.

The first words that we heard from the enemy broadcast was "I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch" with a voice that was all too recognizable. It must've belonged to that bitch, and her face on camera did not make the soldiers look too pleased. We were shocked to a degree, but more so disgusted.

"I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch," she said it twice in the same tone of voice to the ZAFT soldiers as her battleship continued to creep closer in a linear straight line, "And we are here to steal your Mobile Suits to end the war. Hand them over, bitches, and tell Dullindal that Lacus Clyne always wins."

Strikingly simple words… I had to admit that much. And no doubt our men countered attack without hesitation. Hey, who wouldn't? The colony was equipped with beam cannons that had more power than simple beam rifles due to a fact it was a base, and as soon as they aimed perfectly at the incoming ship Eternal (which was still coming in a straight line) we immediately fired at will.

If I was at the colony, I would've rushed out in Destiny or Impulse without anyone's orders before shooting that thing to bits.

We knew that battleships did not have Phase Shift Armour, but we also didn't expect to shoot it down with one shot. I would understand if we at least pierced its armour, but that was not what happened. I almost wished it did damage, but instead that ship had Phase Shift Armour… or possibly Anti-Beam-Coating. They never had that before, and now suddenly that damned ship possessed such high levels of technology. We were stunned after countless beams have struck it cleanly, and that ship was still coming ever so slowly.

There were a few words that could explain such pure insanity:

* * *

Lacus _(making a sly smile and making small continuous 'come' hand motions at the audience_): I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch.

* * *

"Fire our cannons, bitches," announced Lacus as Eternal raised their Godfreits at our Mobile Suit gates. Lunamaria, Rey, and I knew simple cannons would not be enough to blow up those gates, since we had extremely fortified it with anti-beam-coating during days as rookies and slaves of the ZAFT academy, and we were very confident that their efforts would be futile.

Despite their Phase Shift, they couldn't last out there forever. Sooner or later, that blasted ship would let their guard down.

Without any warning, Eternal fired two thin Godfreit beams directly at our most fortified gate –the one where we had more than three layers of Anti-Beam-Coating. One blast of that sort could never be sufficient to destroy our gate, but it was frightening when a dozen of our doors have been destroyed at once –despite some of them were hundreds of meters away from the targeted gate. In other words, all the rest were untouched, but they exploded anyway.

With just one shot, every passage became opened.

Lunamaria could not understand how this could've happened, but I could though. It was because… JUST BECAUSE…

* * *

Lacus _(making a sly smile and making small continuous 'come' hand motions at the audience_): I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch.

* * *

As if busting our defenses with just one shot not good enough, our incredible amounts of firepower did not make a dent in their armour as we helplessly allowed them to dock safely next to the 4 new models. Bad came to worse as they entered… and I almost didn't want to believe it but it was all too true… as Eternal went pass each Zaku Warrior (with or without touching them)… the mobile suits all exploded and ignited to bits. How the hell could a single tap have the adequate power to destroy suits?

How!

Impossible!

But Eternal did it, they made it look like that our suits were made out of tissue paper!

We used a strong alloy on our weapons, we made it for the sole reason to save ourselves, and yet Lacus Clyne had to make us look pathetic in our efforts to strive to get better.

Meanwhile, a conversation was happening inside Eternal.

"Listen up, bitches," said Lacus to her slaves from inside the bridge, "You see those suits over there, I want you all to steal that unoriginal Freedom and that newer coloured Justice. Leave the other 2 alone, got it? Move your butts, bitches!"

"There are 4 suits though…"

"I said just those 2!"

"But Lacus-"

"Lacus-_sama_, bitch!" she immediately corrected harshly.

"Yes… yes… Anyway, why don't you want the other two? I mean, this ship does have room for all 4…"

"Never question my orders! I am leaving those 2 alone on purpose. Since no one likes more original suits, Destiny Gundam is obviously going to decrease the ratings despite that he never went on air yet. As for Legend Gundam… it's nothing by a Providence wannabe! Hey, no one likes Le Creuset, and so ratings for that suit would surely be low. I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch, I live for good ratings! Hell, I am the highest in Japan despite that I don't do any shit!

"Ratings, yes, I live for good ratings, because if I don't keep up with the ratings I may not exist. Those with bad ratings all die, and Sting, Stellar, and Auel were the perfect scapegoats. And I love manipulation, because I can make anyone's reputation to go down or up, and as long as Kira also has good ratings, I am happy.

"As for Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice, everyone likes them because they are unoriginal and cheesy. They are nothing but gold and silver trophies that will make people buy them! Gold and Silver means automatic victory, and that proves Lacus Clyne always wins.

"Look, Strike Freedom has everything from Buster's combining cannon beam rifle to Dragoon System. And that's perfect for my Kira –because all he needs to do is make the war look like garbage by owning his "enemies" or his friends. Not only does he make battles look shit, he gets ratings for being all invincible while turning all sorts of good people look like jackasses. Most importantly, he gets away with it –like how I am going to get away with stealing."

"But-"

"No buts, bitch! Just do your job!"

"Yes…" And the loyal fool left the bridge and went to prepare themselves for the hijacking mission. At the same time, the Eternal saw over 80 soldiers with assault rifles began to come their way quickly before they skillfully surrounded the ship. Each one of them carried a strong will to destroy the pink battleship within their sight range.

"Waldfeld, look after the ship for me," declared Lacus profoundly with an arrogant pride.

"Are you planning to go out there, Lacus?" asked Andrew, a bit worried at the ZAFT numbers that were outside the ship. As each second went by, more of our men entered the dock to prepare themselves for combat.

"Lacus-sama!" corrected the pair haired bitch while not even looking at Waldfeld, but she knew he was looking her way.

"Sorry… pardon my apologies…"

"You had something to ask me?"

"Yes… are you seriously planning to show your face to the soldiers?"

"You dare to question my strategy?" she challenged back despite that there was a high chance that she didn't have anything planned.

"I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch," the pink-haired nuisance repeated her motto for the millionth time, "The public needs to know how exactly how beautiful I am in order to get good ratings. Besides, I can let them know how pathetic they really are compared to me, it's very crucial to realize that the beautiful always have the advantage over the ugly."

With that said, Lacus Clyne floated to the nearest elevator to access to the lowest floor; the level where she had the access to reach outside.

Although no one was coming out from the ship, our soldiers were extremely patient at their stationary areas. Their guns were aimed at all possible exits, since they knew enemies would be coming out of there to steal our experimental mobile suits. The only problem was that we didn't know which exit they would pick, therefore, our instincts told us to be alert on all of them.

At long last (after few minutes of waiting) the main exit opened, and we were surprised to see just Lacus Clyne standing in a leaning posture with that hated serene smile on her face. Who did she think she was? Did she see herself as a God? Acting like a bitch all the time, it only made our men want to turn her worse than Swiss cheese.

"Lacus Clyne?" asked a soldier rhetorically to himself.

"She's alone?" another one inquired suspiciously as he tightened his grip on his rifle. "Without any support?"

"Why the hostile looks, gentlemen?" questioned Lacus Clyne still having that irritating smile plastering all over her too-perfect beauty, "I mean you no harm." She sure had the guts to speak such ridiculous lies. If she meant what she said just now, why did she destroy all of our gates, and practically slaughtered our mobile suits by colliding to them?

"You take us for fools, you insolent woman!" yelled the Captain of the squad with deadly rage as he pointed his firearm at her direction. "How dare you think you can just do whatever you want?"

"I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch," she repeated her motto again in her supposedly favoured solemn voice, "I always get what I want because I am beautiful. Besides, my Kira needs a new suit."

"Make your own mobile suit! We had enough of your sinful acts!"

"I want Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice," Lacus pressed on with this subject with the same smile on her face. The soldiers' face cringed at that face although it was gorgeous. It was almost like a venom now. "Hand it over, it's useless to retaliate against me because I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch."

"Persistent wretch!" the Captain declared rudely before performing the advance signal. Whenever that hand movement was used, it was basically telling the soldiers to advance and destroy whatever hostile. In this case, the target was clearly Lacus Clyne. The soldiers were pleased to commence their showering assault. However, the strange thing was that Lacus yet had to wipe off that smile from her face. That confidence no doubt had the soldiers wondering, but some of them discarded it for the time being due to this ideal opportunity to finally kill that bitch.

Even so, I really did wish our guns actually did something. As soon as our shower of bullets swarmed at Lacus… there were no logical explanations to the next part… the shots sort of shot past her. Who was anyone trying to kid; the bullets missed her completely and hit the metal armour of the ship instead. Someone even pulled out a sniper rifle and aimed for her heart, and once he guaranteed his shot struck the right spot even he was freaked out towards the fact that Lacus Clyne was still standing there unharmed.

How could this be? She should've been killed! And yet that bitch was still alive and at the same time making that intolerable, calm smile on her all-too-beautiful lips. Damn her, was she an alien from space or a Coordinator? Bitch… she always made things look so favourable to her!

"What on earth…" stuttered the commanding captain with agitation and fear.

"Who in hell is she?" a subordinate shouted as he reloaded his assault rifle hurriedly. "Kuso…"

Lacus Clyne took one smooth step closer, grinning as she spoke her words. I was sick of her already. "I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch," she declared passively, as if the world was not good enough for her to be talking with, "And I already told you that I always win."

In a flash (or possibly a few seconds worth) all our men were down for the count. I didn't know how it all happened… but Lacus Clyne somehow knew the art of 'The Matrix', and damn hell she was abusing it. Kuso, that kono-yaro! Bitch, what a bitch! How could this ever be!

Unfair! Totally unfair! Just because… just because…

* * *

Lacus _(making a sly smile and making small continuous 'come' hand motions at the audience_): I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch.

* * *

I, amongst everyone, clearly assumed the Captain and his troops were all dead despite Lacus Clyne "never preferred to kill their oppressors". Why should ZAFT believe their methods when they chose to commit unforgivable offences each time? With no means of stopping them (after each group that went in was dealt with by Lacus Clyne's Matrix abilities, and our mobile suits were coming in from another PLANT colony) we watched helplessly as her men took in Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice inside the hangars of Eternal.

I was surprised to know that Destiny Gundam and Legend Gundam were left untouched. Why would Lacus Clyne not take them when our defenses were all penetrated? It didn't make much sense, but I was glad to know that ZAFT didn't lose all hope just yet.

When Eternal began to move out of our mobile suit docks, squadrons of elite mobile suits that were dispatched earlier were on their way to take out that fugitive battleship. No one made fools out of us and got away with it –especially not if the intruder was someone as bitchy and intolerable as Lacus Clyne.

Although Eternal did not decide to destroy anything else –basically sparing our lives- during their depart, we ZAFT soldiers certainly did not find it as a gift of kindness. With us left alive, it was practically living the rest our lives in utter humiliation and defeat; a defeat that was not only disgusting, but one that we rather kill ourselves because we couldn't do a thing to make a difference! We tried so hard to stop them, and in the end that Lacus Clyne just came in and out completely UNHARMED! Not even a fucking dent!

Then again, we weren't done with them. Our Gunner ZAKU forces could save us from our undignified downfall and kill Lacus Clyne for good. Even though Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice would be destroyed during the process, it was still better than to have them in the hands of that witch.

In perfect coordination from a decently far distance, our Gunners fired their main cannons at all areas of Eternal. What fools, did they seriously believe ZAFT would let them escape? Better yet, why travel in a slow linear straight line to allow our suits to aim at them easier? Not even anti-beam coating or whatever shit they used could save them from such an intense blast. Were those supposed to be wise actions of a veteran of the previous war? She was nothing but a war-veteran-wannabe! Looks, that was all she had! Did she think sitting there in her commander outfit meant that she had experiences of a war leader?

Not in her life!

She had more than light years to go until she has a fraction of an military academy student's skills! Pathetic wretch, she deserved death. I was delighted to know that our plasma cannons made a direct hit at the ship, and even more excited when it wasn't all a dream. Then my hopes all shattered when I heard about the plasma beams being deflected back at the original attackers.

That enraged me to the top of my bent! At first the Eternal had anti-beam coating or Phase Shift Armour shit when they came in, and now they possess the same armour as that ripped-off Hyaku-Shiki? No one saw them adding that technology on their armour, so how was it possible to have such an upgrade! Phase Shift… and now that crap! Impossible, it was just not possible… why must they always have their way! Why did she do nothing and yet excellent outcomes come from it? Damn that pink-haired scoundrel…

Our mobile suits were completely annihilated by their own assaults, and worse when we watched Lacus Clyne taking our prized mobile suits back to the Archangel. I was certain that those 2 suits would be gone forever, and the next time we see them they would be our enemies. Their new pilots… I didn't care who they might be… all I knew was that ZAFT suffered a massive disgraceful collapse… and I truly wished that people could just leave us alone to reflect on our mistakes.

Once humiliated to a high degree, we all preferred some space.

Precisely at that moment, someone's voice roamed over the broadcast system saying "I'm Lacus Clyne, bitch".

Not knowing what I should've been doing due to rage, I immediately yelled at the top of my lungs.

There you have it. No matter what shit ever happens in my life, Lacus Clyne always wins. Does it make sense? Hell no. But what can I do about it? When I loved Stellar, Kira Yamato (someone related to Lacus Clyne) killed her. Why did I have no family; that was because Freedom killed them. Why is the war still happening? That one is simple. Because Lacus Clyne always has a very strong liking to rob/hijack/steal other people's work and creation and pretend it's her own. Somehow, really somehow… these things all cause problems in my life.

My motto: Fuck Lacus Clyne, along with Kira Yamato, since they truly make you realize what boredom really is. You don't like them being such pathetic, boring people, well, blame those who constantly want to support their character attributes. Don't push the fault at the creators so quickly, because Shinn Asuka wasn't supposed to be an ass to this great extent. Sure, I might not be the nicest person in Destiny, but people hated me for a reason that I didn't know –when I was just trying to be who I was.

Instead of redeeming me –knowing that the audience already hates me without giving me a chance to show my good sides and characteristics- the creators were better off making me into whatever you audience members wanted me to become; an arrogant ass.

It's the same problem with Kira Yamato and Lacus Clyne. You want them to be interesting? You want them to show more? Then, if you wanted that, perhaps it would've been much better if you didn't keep promoting them to have God-like or Hime-like or even stoic personalities. The entire GSD is based on –and supported by- the "fans", and therefore, if people keep liking Lacus Clyne as the hime-like bitch, hey, despite that the creators have a strong feeling that she is lame, they still have to keep it that way because that's what the people want her to be.

Why am I being such a jerk and an ass, you ask? What, isn't this what people asked for? I am only showing them the things that were demanded from me, and I think I am doing a very good job at keeping my end of the bargain.

See you all again… real soon.

**_AN: Please speak your thoughts in any way possible, I seriously don't mind the comments today. Thank you! I feel… more alive when people tell me the truth than twisting the facts into something else. In simpler term, lies. Honesty is the best policy, that's something I live with, so tell me how you feel. That is really the only way that I could know my readers._**

_**Oh yeah, has anyone of you received the mail about authors not able to thank reviewers in their chapters? If this rule continues to take place, I really can't afford to get myself into deep trouble. If you want to talk to me about fictions, games, interests, and stuff, feel free to email me. I am not very consistent in responding to emails though, but if you write a lot of content in your messages, then I would honestly respond. Like, dude, don't expect me to answer back a letter that's two rows long, because that truly shows your… desperation/wholeheartedness.**_

_**Chapter 9 will be out soon, so wait for it! Sayonara! **_


	10. Love, Envy, Ignite!

_**Believe, Realize, Reason**_

_Chapter 9: Love, envy… Ignite!_

Disclaimer: Don't own Seed, or Seed Destiny, or anything related to Bandai as a matter of fact.

_**AN: Yes, yell at OpForce for not updating sooner. I am not even going to explain why I made "Destiny's 3 Shinns", but I am sure you all noticed my intentions. GSD is a piece of shit. The rumoured GSE (E as in Eternity) will most likely be even crappier. I have no faith whatsoever from Bandai that they would actually make good animes anymore. All they care about is revenue, and good anime goodness will be more than likely that it won't exist as long as these kinds of ambitions survive.**_

_**I lost hope in Gundam, but luckily not with my story. **_

_**And because of some stupid rule about no review answering (or some shit within those lines) I won't be answering anything, unless you want me to answer in an email or something. However, I will strongly state that I hate Lacus Clyne and Kira Yamato, and I do not dislike them without decent reason. In fact, due to their popularity and constant hatred of Shinn, GSD had to focus on those boring people instead of developing those who desperately needed improvements or further elaboration.**_

_**I hate stories such as those, and therefore that is the reason I am writing this story of mine.**_

_**And so, let the games begin once more.**_

**_(Kira, Athrun, and Dearka's Apartment, 7:30AM)_**

"What happened, Athrun…" moaned Kira, still half asleep as his tired body leaned on the side of the door for support. The blue haired Coordinator was in the kitchen, taking a sip of water due to incredible lack of liquids first thing in the morning. Finding his throat a little bit dry, Kira found it best to obey his thirst and searched for water. In a tired fashion, the Freedom pilot grimly snatched a cup from the cupboard, took the jug of water, and finally pouring in the right amounts without spilling before raising it to his lips to drink.

He then noticed that he didn't brush his teeth yet. Well, it wasn't much of a big deal for now when he didn't need to go out yet.

Although it had been a several days ever since the drama incident, Kira was feeling kind of farfetched to talk to Lacus. Pride was not much an issue today. In fact, the Freedom pilot was quite a rookie when it came to women despite that he had accompanied Cagalli and Miriallia for so long during the time in Archangel. Cagalli… she couldn't be considered to be in the ladies group when Kira first thought that she was a guy. It was still very tough to adjust that the Orb princess was now his sister, but Kira had a clue that Cagalli managed to adapt to the entire ordeal quickly. He had the war coming to an end to thank for those results, and yet he was confused as to why he wasn't as flexible compared to her. Flexibility was something that did not match Cagalli at all, and even she was doing a better job than he was.

Perfect coordinator didn't mean his social and humane attributes were at top notch.

Speaking of Miriallia, he had not talked to her in an awfully long while. Kira wondered how she had been doing after all this time of peace. The actual real conversation that he had with her was in the supermarket, and that was a week ago. He had to thank Dearka for volunteering his time so frequently for the past two weeks to spend time with the former Archangel CIC, and it was such a shame how Miriallia only familiarized herself best with the Buster pilot. Long story short, Kira knew he wasn't being the greatest friend around. He was disgusted at himself for being so self-centered; all he cared about was his own well being instead of others.

Undoubtedly, Kira saw himself as a selfish egoist where he often stepped over the lines where it was close to intruding other people's private space. Perhaps he was just thinking a little too overboard back there, but that surely did not revive his mood to anything lively.

"Nothing much," replied the Justice pilot, somewhat dozing off during his speech. "Damn that Crot…"

"What did Crot-san do?"

"I don't know…" grunted Athrun, obviously he was pretty tired himself. The watch said 7:23AM, which was much earlier than the time Athrun usually woke up. If his brain was functioning properly, he could've sworn that Stellar had quite the energy when she came in earlier with the Raider pilot. It was rare to see someone producing that amount of zeal first thing in the morning, and Athrun would refuse to be enthusiastic even if he got paid to do it. "Stellar and Crot said that they needed my car…"

Kira raised a brow, obviously somewhat astonished. "Your car, you say?"

"Yeah,"

"What could they possibly do with that?"

"Who cares," Athrun grunted, shaking that subject off with his hand, "Maybe Stellar wants some fresh air or something… or maybe she has her period. You know women could have their urges during those times, and Stellar could have a craving for fresh air, while Cagalli likes to indulge in a sweet tooth. Different people have different likes, Kira. I'm relieved she PMS's in such a calm way… unlike some other people…" The Freedom pilot didn't say that he disagreed with what Athrun said; it was just that craving for fresh air was too rare –insanely unbelievable, rather. If a girl had desires to inhale good oxygen during stress, that lady could make her guy one of the happiest people in the face of the earth.

"Who could that be?"

"Oh, you don't need to know. I have my secrets and you have yours."

"You sure your philosophy back there is legitimate?" questioned Kira doubtfully.

"Hey, the outside does have the best air," Athrun stated, as if his words had no faults. Kira gave him credit for having such a high level of self-confidence so early in the morning. Cagalli's nature must been rubbing off on him, and he was safely to assume that his sister was very powerful to be able to influence a guy like Athrun. The perfect Coordinator couldn't help but sigh quietly.

"Doesn't it feel kinda strange though?" Kira suddenly brought the subject back in a form of a question. The Justice pilot flashed a bored look at his best friend; he was sure being nosy and stubborn. "Let me say it more properly… Did Stellar or Crot-san ever asked for your car?"

"Well, no, actually…"

"Do you think that they are planning something?"

"Crot, maybe he still carries a grudge on me for breaking his little game system… But I don't think that he would go that far as to destroy my car as payback -especially not if Stellar is with him. You know Stellar, she wouldn't allow anything chaotic to erupt despite the size." Once again, Athrun made his point, and Kira could not do anything but to consider Athrun's words valid like the Laws of Gravity.

"You worried though, Athrun?" the Freedom pilot inquired as he looked over his shoulder to see his friend's drained visage. "About your car, I meant."

"I wouldn't concern myself with it that much," answered the green eyed Coordinator confidently. Once more, Kira had to admit that the Justice pilot was acting very strong, unlike most of the other days of the week. "Like you said before, if Stellar is with him, I doubt that anything drastic would come up."

"That is true if we assume Stellar is a passive, careful girl."

"I am sure she is. Yo, what time is it anyway, Kira?"

For the first time today, Kira snorted before he grin with a negative attitude. "You mean to tell me that you don't know."

"Apparently, I don't. Or I wouldn't be asking you now, would I?" He made a good point, miraculously.

"Well, it's slightly over 7:30, and from what I see you are still dead tired."

"Yeah, I am… really tired. Cagalli kept me up the entire night…" The last words caught the Freedom pilot's attention extremely quick. What did he mean by entire night?

"What did you do, Athrun?" inquired Kira, his seriousness replacing his previous casual demeanor.

"Cagalli was just sad, Kira."

"Sad?" he asked. His eyes began to fill with genuine concern over the matter. "About what?"

"She thinks that she is a failure at things, like, you know, she believes that she could've done better at a lot of different things so the outcome would've been another. She's blaming herself too much."

Kira caught on faster than he first expected. "Is she still remembering the incident at Orb? I don't like to be a jerk but we kept telling her that it isn't her fault. The Earth Alliance forced Representative Attha to take the only option that was remaining, and if Cagalli ever wants to blame someone it should be them and not herself." Athrun grunted lowly, obviously very agitated at the fact that Kira had to remind him of all the things that he didn't want to remember. Now they were stuck in his head once more when he tried so hard to forget about it. He was almost there, and now he was back to square one.

"Oh good god, Kira," Athrun said in frustration, "It's not that!"

"Then what is it?"

Athrun could not believe how ignorant Kira was. Had his life in peace dulled his senses and basic intelligence? Athrun almost regretted staying to talk to him where he could've went back in his room and enjoyed a deep slumber of no troubles. It was too late now, obviously, he was pretty much wide awake, "Cagalli isn't happy because she hasn't been doing well here! Why the hell are you talking about the war now? If you want to talk about it, well, do it on Veteran's Day or your birthday! Don't start on these painful subjects deliberately! It hurts people, you know that! If you actually bothered to spend time with your sister, you would actually get a chance to know what is bothering her."

"I'm sorry then," Kira returned the favour rudely, "Don't you think that I have my life to attend to? I am busy trying to get Lacus to talk to me like before, and I don't like to see her being all cold and silent on me for something that isn't my own doing."

The Justice pilot fought back a laugh, a devilish laugh. "What are you talking about?" he immediately challenged Kira with much intimidation. Although Athrun was not the perfect Coordinator, he knew Kira was not someone best in decision making. In fact, his wrongful acts had caused a lot of pain to others. "Lacus isn't talking to you because it _IS_ your fault. You did all this, Kira. If it were up to me, even I would dislike you until you know what you have done. From what I see now, you still have no idea, aren't you?"

Kira became angry, but he only chose to make stern looks instead of using violence. However, his violet eyes began to leer into the emerald ones before him. "I know that I lied to her and everyone else… but I had no choice… I did it for the better."

"For the better?" mocked the blue haired Coordinator, rolling his eyes at that ridiculous reasoning. "If you actually followed my suggestion and went to a doctor or something, this wouldn't have happened in the first place. I was surprised that your arms didn't break off, why not make it heal properly?"

"If I went to a doctor, Lacus would get worried. You know how concerned she was about me during the war and in Archangel after each battle; it pains me to see that beautiful face frown for one second. It doesn't suit her."

Athrun caught another opening to strike. Kira's words were awfully weak today. He couldn't help himself but to actually lose respect for his best friend. The Justice pilot never thought things could slide downhill this easily, just like how easily someone could destroy their self confidence after one small mistake. "Yes, frowning doesn't suit Lacus one little bit. I agree with you on that. I have known her for so long that I know she loves to smile to brighten someone's day. However, you should be worrying about yourself first. It doesn't matter if Lacus frowns and gets worried because you know she cares about you, and maybe even all of us as a matter of fact. She would find it so… so delightful to see someone hurt emotionally or physically become okay again, and the most important person that she wants to see happy is you, Kira.

"I can understand where Lacus is coming from because even she wanted me to not get involved in this war… but I stubbornly thought that being a Gundam pilot or as a soldier of ZAFT was the best decision for me. Lacus cares for all those who are important to her. Kira, do you even know how much you have hurt her for not telling her that you needed help? You could've at least told her that you could deal with it yourself so she could be less concerned."

"I did tell her that."

"Hell no, you didn't," spat the Justice pilot, his eyes showed nothing more but disgust. "You hid it from her until you failed miserably at holding a shopping bag. Okay, what pissed, or made her upset, was how you chose not to tell her when she was willing to be there for you. Secondly, well, I think that she thought you found her to be a bother."

Kira's face was filled with a mixture of confusion, surprise, and guilt. Finally, the expression of guilt surfaced at last and took over his arrogance and stubbornness. Athrun was wondering when Kira would begin to feel sorry; sadly enough, he really did think that it was never. Kira had changed; he could admit that much without doubt. Even so, Athrun noticed that he had changed, too. Hopefully, he had improved instead of being degraded for the worst. To a degree, Athrun was angered at Kira's pitiful reaction "What are you saying?"

"You are indecisive as you are slow," commented the Justice pilot, sneering a little bit. "Lacus thought that you didn't like her anymore, dimwit."

"Why would she think that?"

"You really are a dimwit, aren't you? Men… why are they so dense? How could women fall in love with such creatures of pure ignorance and negligence?"

Kira almost made a sweatdrop. "Athrun, you are a guy, too…"

The blue haired coordinator was all too prepared for this verbal assault, as though he prepared days or even weeks in advance. "In comparison to you, I actually realized what the problem was. Don't you get it? Lacus strongly thinks that you think she is not important enough in your eyes despite her efforts. She wants you to share things with her because she is willing to go through thick and thin. And here you are, hiding things from her when all she wants to do is help you. When she sees this, what is left for her to believe in?"

"You're the smart one, tell me."

Athrun could take a knife and slit his throat right there and end his life regardless of how distasteful it was. "I am only telling you this because you are my best friend," the Justice pilot said sternly, "Lacus thinks that all her efforts up to now are wasted on the… stupid. It's like this… if she can't let you open up to minor things, what can assure her that you will open up to her about bigger things? Women are careful people, they really do use their brains and think about things that men fail to ponder about. I could go discuss about psychological things, but I will save that for another day."

"You are liking your class way too much for your own good," said Kira, and he wasn't being sarcastic.

"War and mobile suit piloting was never my passion," replied Athrun, out of good nature.

"What should I do now?"

"Just talk to her."

"I have been trying to do that, you know,"

"Give it more time," the Justice pilot said, patting his friend on the shoulder before he actually gave a good smile, "Lacus likes you too much to simply discard you. I think she is just reconciling… or whatever. Time, my friend, time is something that could reveal everything. On the time being, just do your part and show her that you care."

Kira literally stared at his friend for a good five seconds as he observed Athrun's visage, which looked utmost mature and intelligent unlike his. He almost felt ashamed knowing the difference between their skills in life. The Freedom pilot was convinced that the time Athrun spent in ZAFT must have shaped up his entire attitude in a way that was more than Kira imagined. At that moment, Kira wished that he worked under some sort of government, and therefore he would see the real taste of life than spending it leisurely like most students did. Outside the mobile suit, Kira was still a child –metaphorically, not literally.

"Thanks for the conversation, Athrun," the Freedom pilot said, feeling somewhat awkward that he got completely told by his best friend, "I really needed it…"

"That's what friends do," Athrun kindly returned Kira's gratitude with a nice touch of gracefulness and humility, "I'm sure you would've done the same for me. Well, only if you have the wits to be persuasive enough that is."

Kira was half-offended, yet half amused. "Hey! Are you accusing me to be stupid?"

"You have to admit, you aren't that bright." That made Kira sulk like a boy who lost his ice cream bar due to some unwanted accident in a local mall. Athrun didn't know whether to find amusement in it or simply frown upon it. Perhaps he was just too kind natured today, and thus, he grinned as if Kira looked adorable when he sulked. In reality, Athrun was somewhat disgusted.

"That hurt, Athrun…"

"I would stay and chat with you, but I really do want to sleep. Waking up at 7:30 because of some idiot isn't fun, I'll tell you that much if you ever want advice from me."

"You know… you used to give better ones,"

Unfortunately, Kira's insults were in vain when he noticed the Justice pilot was no longer in front of him as he shifted sleepily back into his bedroom. Kira just cursed out loud, not believing that he was so sluggish today at everything he did.

_Damn you, Athrun… I hope Crot-san destroys your car._

**_(Meanwhile at Shiho's apartment)_**

Shiho Hahnenfuss' morning was a happy one… until Yzak came in.

She had no one else but herself to blame being so optimistic and happy towards the Duel pilot. She had an urge to talk, and whenever her heart was set on a task, goal, or whatever, Shiho had an undying passion to see it fit no matter for better or for worse.

It all started when she called Yzak this morning to come over, and she was surprised to hear that the Duel pilot was awake before she called. He told her about Stellar practically barging into his place and got Crot out of bed in the loudest and brashest way he had ever seen her in, and afterwards there was no chance for him to fall back asleep. He clearly didn't want to do anything following that major interruption, but Shiho offered him breakfast if he decided to pay her a visit. Yzak thought about it for a good second before his will and brains declared forfeit on him. He clearly did not want to cook now as his body lacked a force to move, and it was all thanks to that Stellar that his day was half ruined before it even started.

He entered Shiho's place passively, almost too vigilant about everything. He didn't look at her, moved near her, nor did he have the initiative sense to start a conversation. In fact, the only thing he said was, "Where is my breakfast?" and when he found out it was not ready yet, he sat on the couch before doing some channel flipping, which was great exercise for the thumb.

Needless to say, Shiho was not impressed, and with a good cause.

As if that wasn't enough, Yzak appeared to love the shows that Shino most hated, and she wished that television was not Yzak's primary interest. She felt her face flinch up when the television emitted profanity as her fiance, or rather fiance under the rule of Ezaria, turned on the device that was sitting pleasantly on top of a fashionable wooden shelf that she picked herself.

"I'm one of the baddest mother-fucker of all time," she heard from inside the kitchen before she found Yzak actually chuckling, "The best singing, the best looking mother-fucker you all have ever seen. Hold my drink, bitch." She concurred that Yzak loved the word 'bitch', and it really did have a way to crack him up.

"You never laugh like that when I talk to you," Shiho said, coming out with two breakfast meals that consisted of eggs, bacon, and toast with a thin line of butter, and a little extra. A very typical Western breakfast it was, but she knew he would enjoy it, or hoped that he would. At first, Yzak wasn't planning to answer her, but as his nose picked up a salty and attractive aroma, he slowly turned his head to face her. He grinned slightly seeing she had food on her.

"You don't swear often," he replied, shifting his gaze at the surprisingly appealing food, "I don't find it amusing."

"Using profanity destroys your image, Yzak. Did the war change you that much… that thoroughly?"

"I'm always like that,"

"Not when you were six, you weren't,"

"You've met me when you were six? Are you serious, Shiho? How come I don't remember you at all?"

Shiho laughed softly, like any sophisticated lady would. "You were very different back then. Cute… adorable… arrogant nonetheless, but kind hearted in your own way. You were fun to be with, Nicol and Dearka told me that you were a good friend to be around, and I believed them."

"I don't deserve that much praising," said the Duel pilot, rolling his eyes after endless compliments although it was only a few, "There's got to be something that I made you angry. I made all girls angry at me somehow… somewhere… someway… There is just too many to list. But it was fun though."

"You were really immature back then, Yzak," she said, "you kept saying that girls are yucky and disgusting and wouldn't play with them even if you need to go through interrogation, or, in a more extreme sense, death."

Yzak, like most human beings who had a mind, was somewhat taken aback. "I was such a brat? Don't remember saying like that…"

"It's not like you're not a brat now, Yzak-chan,"

He gave a flat stare. "Do I still get breakfast if I make a comment to that statement of yours?"

Shiho thought about it for a minute before she smiled. "It's a free country, go ahead."

"Okay then… Shut up, Shiho,"

"You're not getting any breakfast now for sure," she replied, grinning a victorious smile that made the Duel pilot jump to his feet in outrage.

"Oi, oi, oi!" he screamed, pointing an accusing finger at his fiancé under family laws, "What happened to the justification of free country?"

"You're in my house, remember?" she kindly reminded out of vengeance, or mock-vengeance, "and as long as you are here, I make the rules. Now, I say you are not eating my breakfast." Shino then stuck out her tongue playfully to increase Yzak's rage, and she had the exact results that she was hoping for when his anger doubled amusingly.

"You tricking witch!" he exclaimed out of fury, "You lied to me! That's it. I got kicked out of better places than this. I'm going!"

He was really planning to leave, but Shiho (with her arcane gracefulness) managed to actually make him stop. "I didn't say anything about kicking you out, Yzak. Do you really want to go?"

"Yes, I am very happy with that choice, if I am allowed to make it, Shiho-sama,"

"But you won't get breakfast if you leave."

"You said you won't give-"

By that time, Shiho already placed her food onto the table before approaching Yzak to give him a hug. The gray haired Coordinator stopped in his tracks when he experienced something that he had rarely, or perhaps never, faced. Sure, he had been kissed (not on the lips though) and hugged by women –mainly by his mother- but this was totally different. Unlike the others… this one actually felt nice for a change. His breath became dry; his voice could not be heard despite how hard he tried, and he knew this hug was too overwhelming for him.

In short, although it was comfortable, he didn't like it, but had no willpower to reject.

"I was only kidding," she said, holding him warmer to feel his natural emitted heat, "as if I have the heart to starve you when you had a bad morning. You can be so dense sometimes." This time she had a lively laugh, a chuckle that matched her age than the unnecessary formality that was used in the military. Yzak had to admit, she had a charming way to enjoy herself.

Yzak suddenly cocked a brow at her comment, "Is that supposed to be an insult?"

"Maybe,"

"I'm… hungry… now that you've mentioned it."

"Come on then, let's eat. This is my first time cooking."

"What?" he shouted, totally bewildered, "This is your first? Wait… wait, wait! I'm not sure if I am hungry anymore. I can take you out somewhere and-and… and we… can have something outside-" He wasn't even done with his speech yet and he already found himself sitting in front of the meal that Shiho made for him. He swallowed hard, not knowing what he should be expecting out of this. Okay, perhaps it didn't look half bad. The scrambled eggs were in a saffron kind of yellow, which looked safe enough. The toast were golden brown and not black, and that too was a good sign. Next he moved on to the bacon, and he didn't need to look at it to know it was exceptional. His nose picked up a very nice aroma after all.

The Duel pilot was about to stop Shiho from putting the eggs on her fork to her mouth but realized he was too late. He gasped in a very anime-like fashion, and also a deep concern for her safety miraculous grew in his mind. However, that feeling vanished the instant a wide smile spread all over her face as the taste sank into her taste buds. "Delicious!" Shiho exclaimed in a way that resembled a little girl eating the most smooth, sweet ice-cream. Was this really the same Shiho Hahnenfuss he met in the military? She was his right hand man… no, woman. "Why do you taste so yummy?"

Yzak really wanted to destroy all remnants of his enthusiasm. "Are you doing that just to have me eat it?" To his surprise, she only nodded as she sliced her bacon before putting it into her mouth. It was worth a shot, right? Come on, if Shiho's cooking was so disgusting, then how could she be so chewing it down so happily? Perhaps he could have some faith in her, she was his fiancée without any consent, in which he still needed to discuss to his mother about it whenever he had the chance. And so, he decided to give it a shot.

Instead of the food, he tried the milk tea first. But what he didn't notice was how Shiho made a disgusted look when she took a sip out of her tea first. "Yuck… don't drink the tea yet… I accidentally put in salt instead of sugar…"

_Salt!_

The contents in his mouth began its horrific flavour infestation on his tongue. Salt and tea were one of the most terrible fusions ever. In fact, it almost tasted like Chinese Herbal medicine, and he hated those with the most passion. Unable to control it any longer, Yzak, in a very ungraceful fashion, spat all the salted tea from his mouth like a water gun to an area across from him, and which was exactly where Shiho was sitting. The former female red coat gasped as tea splashed all over her, but she knew that tea also contained some of Yzak's saliva, which made it even more sickening.

Her face and hair, but mostly face, were soaked effectively. There was a very awkward silence for a good minute, yet Yzak wished it were longer this time. In fact, make that a lot longer. For once, he was deeply afraid of what was going to happen to him, and he didn't feel that way when he was at war. She saw Shiho, who was all wet, finally made a small fidget, and every action from here on end would be frightening, and especially when her eyes were still cast down.

"Yzak?" she asked, voice strikingly passive.

"Yes…"

"I know I don't usually say this… but… **_Get out now_**!"

He immediately obeyed and ran.

**_(North Kyoto Spaceport, waiting area)_**

Crot would never believe there were seven wonders in this world now because he found it invalid as of this day. The 8th one on his list was 'How could Marge ever marry Homer Simpson', and his 9th was 'How could Stellar Loussier keep smiling when doing boring things such as waiting'. The Raider pilot was tired enough already, since he played until 4 AM this morning, and now he figured out that they didn't need to be here when Shani's shuttle wasn't expected to show up at least 3 hours later. In his opinion, Stellar must've mixed up the role of the plane rider and the people who were waiting for the rider to arrive. Usually, the rider came two hours before the flight initially started, but if you were waiting, you would not come so early because that was considered wasting time. Unfortunately, that was exactly what they were doing right now.

It was a fascinating new spaceport, yes, but other than shopping there was really nothing else to do. Crot was starting to wonder if commercials were losing their subtlety. A spaceport was not all out different from an airport after all. Instead of using jets and planes, they used passenger space shuttles or space carriers. When he had nothing decent to do, Crot usually looked around, and he certainly did not like what he observed. This place looked no different from a shopping centre. He expected food courts and banks, yes, but bookstores, Gundam model shops, auctions for C.E 72 model of Toyota Corolla and such were a little too much. It was just not needed, but yet human ambitions to make money dominated all logic and rules in the realm of business.

"I've been waiting to ask you, Stellar…" said Crot, finally.

"What?" she questioned, completely happy and innocent.

"You realize that we are way too early for our own good, right? If you knew Shani was going to arrive at noon… why did we come here at eight-fifteen?"

"I didn't know what time he would arrive," Stellar replied, giggling for no apparent reason in Crot's perspective, "I just received his mail that he was coming back and I couldn't help myself but to come here. You know how happy Stellar is?"

Indeed, Crot was happy that his friend was returning, but waiting senselessly was just ridiculous. "I know that you're happy," he stated, although any random stranger with a normal intelligence could see what sort of aura the Gaia pilot was constantly glowing, "But shouldn't you have done some background research first before acting? If you did, we wouldn't be waiting like this."

"Background research?" Judging from her face, it appeared that Stellar never would have thought these words could be placed together to form a phrase. Crot's face felt like cracking from major, exceeding exasperation.

"Forget I said that… but still, what are you planning to do when he comes back though?"

She immediately blushed, and Crot knew it was not a good sign. Not for Shani anyway. "Stellar… Stellar… Stellar wants to hug Shani…" There was more to it, and the Raider pilot knew more than anyone. "And then… kiss him…"

"Kiss him, eh," questioned the orange haired Extended, wondering if Stellar was good at giving kisses, "You think he'll like it though?"

"He smiled the last time I kissed him," she reminded, as she adorably poked her chin with her finger as if she was pondering, "and Stellar bets that Shani would love it if Stellar kisses him better than last time."

"And how are you supposed to do that?"

"Be more intimate, of course!"

The Raider pilot sighed again for the millionth time today. There was no sense in talking to Stellar sometimes when she was so innocent towards most things. Sure, the Gaia pilot was great to talk to in most cases, since she was just as understanding and approachable as Lacus, and anyone could practically engage on any topic. The key difference was one thing… and that would be intelligence.

Stellar Loussier was no idiot by any means, but she was so delightful and optimistic towards everything, as if she was fresh out of the protective kindergarten called Rodnia Laboratory. Stellar sympathized for those with dilemmas, but she really did not realize how harsh this reality was sometimes because she was barely exposed to the world. Even so, Stellar knew interrogation and torture better than anyone else around other than Shani and Crot.

Perhaps that was why the Gaia pilot was so eager and willing to kiss Shani. She didn't know how the world reacts upon such affection, and she merely assumed it was safe. If Shani were any other man, he would either push her away due to awkwardness, or take complete advantage of it and take her virginity away. Luckily, the Forbidden pilot was neither, and in Stellar's case she was very fortunate to have such a 'responsible' friend.

Giving out another sigh, Crot drove off to a temporary deep sleep than to observe this vicinity. Stellar, unlike him, was still on exuberant alert for her lover.

Really now… how could anyone get this excited…

(Lunamaria's Shuttle)

"Are we there yet?" asked Meyrin to her seating partner who was in the middle.

"No," replied the only male in the group, which was, of course, Shinn Asuka in an irritated voice.

"Are we there yet?"

"No…"

"Are we there yet, Shinn?" This time it was the older Hawke sister.

"I just said no!" the vampiric coordinator exasperated declared, almost wanting to rip his hair out hearing this question over and over. Another thing… why was he sitting in the middle? "Why don't you guys look out the window or something than to annoy me with your stupid questions? We are not there yet, and I want to sleep. Why don't you sleep then?"

"I am not tired," chirped Meyrin, crossing her arms under her breasts before she pouted.

"Sleep for my sake!" Shinn then turned to Lunamaria, who was on his right, "And what excuse do you have?"

"I'm too excited to go to sleep," Lunamaria answered, smiling as though she was expecting something grand, "Soon enough… I can see Shani again!"

"He's a busy person, Lunamaria… And what makes you so sure that he would be that happy to see you?"

To his extreme discomfort, the older Hawke sister began her own secondary 'seduction', and which was being cute to the maximum. "Are you saying that he might not like me?" she squeaked, using the most endearing voice she could summon, and that was beyond what Shinn could handle. "But how could that be? I mean… there was a connection between us… we were about to kiss, too…"

Shinn could not take it anymore! That was it, Lunamaria was beautiful, and that was why she was so hard to resist! There were plenty of things she could be doing, but she just had to talk to him about Shani. There was no reason why Shinn could hate Shani, since he was his friend who earned his respect than destroying it like the pilot of Freedom Gundam, who which he still did not know who it was. Up to this date, he detested whoever killed his family, but he hid it well from the others, and neither Lunamaria nor Meyrin had much knowledge of despite they had been his friend for quite some time.

"So what if you were about to kiss," he asked, looking over towards the magenta haired girl without making eye contact deliberately, "maybe he was just losing to his emotions, you know, since you were going to smother him with your affection. Men are weak when it comes to women, remember that."

"You sound like as if Shani does not truly like me, Shinn…"

"I'm not trying to say that, Luna-"

"What is wrong about asking some supportive advice from you, Shinn?" Lunamaria spoke before Shinn was even done. "You want Shani not to like me? You said that you would be happy for me! How could you not be happy for me after finding someone that I love? It took me so long to find a man like him, Shinn Asuka, and now you are jinxing it before our relationship even starts! How could you do this to me?"

The crimson eyed coordinator was amazed and speechless, and not without reason however. Women… so emotional, Shinn thought most strongly, he wasn't even done explaining himself and Lunamaria already blew up on him as if he did something outrageously wrong. What did he do to deserve this? "I didn't say anything though…"

"You were about to, I know you were," Lunamaria insisted, not allowing any time for him to recoil in his statements.

"Onee-chan, don't be too hard on Shinn," said Meyrin, knowing that the male in the center was having problems, "Remember, it was Shinn's idea to come back to earth so you can meet Shani. You wouldn't have thought of it if it wasn't for Shinn." Meyrin tried, and now it was up to Lunamaria to take it like a civilized soldier, or an understanding individual. As the younger sister looked over at her older sibling, her eyes turned into slits when her supposedly mature sister was still pouting. Lunamaria had a cute pout, yes, but now it was at the edge of being annoying than appealing.

"I think I would want to enjoy this trip in silence, thank you," Shinn stated, not even wanting an apology from Lunamaria. He had an idea why she was so edgy and sensitive. Two factors, actually. The first would be her desperation to meet the Forbidden pilot. The other reason could be this was the time of her monthly PMSing period, which Shinn could deal with miraculously and not her bitching.

And so, for the rest of the trip the trio managed to ride in silence where Lunamaria watched the vast outer space, Shinn falling asleep, and Meyrin abusing the shuttle service by constantly having drinks and free food that was not worth charging the customers with. Unknown to these three coordinators, they were the most troublesome people the crew needed to deal with; which was mostly done on Meyrin's part.

**_(3 hours later, North Kyoto Spaceport)_**

"Crot-sempai, Crot-sempai," whined Stellar, taking his left shoulder with her velvety ones as she gave in effort to shake up, "I just heard a civilian shuttle arrived at the port just now." She grunted when she found her sempai not even budging after all her constant whining. "Wake up, would you?"

"I'll get that son of a bitch…" moaned the Raider pilot in his deep sleep, moving his fists as if he were engaging someone in combat. Stellar gasped lightly as his language, and at the same time wondering what he could possibly be dreaming about. He had no sweat perspiring on his head, his lips weren't necessarily showing fear neither, and lastly there were no signs of him angry. In fact, he sounded as if he was excited during a battle. "No one can just going around harassing us like a goddamn son of a-"

"Sempai!" she screeched, not wanting to hear another rude word from him, "Get up!"

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" the Raider pilot jolted back up instantly when the loud screech reached his ears, "Don't hurt me, don't hurt me!"

"It's okay, Crot-sempai. It's me, Stellar,"

"Sorry… I got carried away…" He sounded very (a emotion that he hadn't feel for quite a while) embarrassed. That alone got Stellar to giggle.

"Come on, now, I just heard shuttle 63 arrived."

"Shuttle 63… what?"

"That's the shuttle Shani is on," she chirped, "We should go and meet him."

Crot had another idea though. "Why not just sit here and watch him come over to us, and-" He immediately silenced himself when he saw Stellar's deadly glare, which could kill if looks were able to take lives out of people. "Sure, let's go!"

Without another word, the two, possibly one of the last living Extendeds, made way to the designated area for their friend, who had been absent in their lives for too long although it was only for two weeks.

The Raider and Gaia pilot quickly found a good spot to wait for Shani, which was ten feet away from the gates behind a 4 feet high titanium barrier. They had been here for ten minutes, and not one person walked through yet. For Crot, it wasn't such a big deal, but Stellar's patience was wearing thin a little too fast. She began to pout when the first batch of people weren't the one she was seeking.

Stellar started to play some games to shift her mind away from waiting, "This guy's a lawyer… this woman is a cook… that's a teacher…" Crot, of course, did not understand what she was doing.

"What's happening…" he asked, somewhat groaning out of boredom.

"Guessing people's profession by their looks,"

"They are all wearing suits, ties, or skirts if they are women," said the male Extended, "How are you supposed to differentiate them when they look the same?"

"It's a woman's intuition, and I always have been good at guessing games, remember?"

"Look, these people won't be giving you shit if you want to guess what they work as. See for yourself, they carry briefcases, wearing variety of suits, solemn faces from utmost experience out of this world, it's obvious that they are government officials, or businessmen, perhaps they are managers from big companies. It's not likely that they are teachers, Stellar,"

"Their briefcases could be a disguise!"

"Disguise? For what?"

"It must be some kind of big government conspiracy… Or have they gotten to you, too?" Her friendliness vanquished in less than a second, which was too fast for Crot's liking. She lowered his shoulders, bent her back as if she was in pain, but in reality it made her look completely ferocious. "You know something that I don't! Tell me!" Without warning, she literally jumped on him –in public.

"Stellar, what are you doing?" he almost screamed as he got tackled hard in the gut, "You lost your mind or something? We are in a spaceport here! People are going to look at us!" And he was right, many people were watching him, as though they didn't have any common sense whatsoever in their brains. Some accused them to be maniacs, but they were kind enough not to say it out loud.

"Not until you tell Stellar what you know!"

"I was just joking, Stellar! Kidding! I was just trying to have some humour in our conversation! Itai, itai, itai…!" The Raider pilot was trying too hard to pry off the girl on top away from his body, but to his major discomfort the Gaia pilot was refusing to give in. Her legs entangled around his hips, he was lying on the floor, and Stellar was sitting upright as though she was rocking him. In other words, these Extendeds seemed to be having sex on the spaceport's designated waiting area.

"I haven't seen you two for such a short time and you are already making love in public?" A familiar voice said from behind the blond Extended, which caused her to freeze in her spot immediately. The Raider pilot did not think of this as a blessing or an additional dread. Even so, both of them recognized the voice. It was naturally creepy, very rare for a male, and it also carried a distinct sense of power. "I am stunned… really am…"

"Shut up…" grunted Crot, clearly not enjoying this whatsoever. It was somewhat fortunate to have the stares decrease with this new presence, and Crot cherished it nonetheless.

"Shani…" Stellar gasped, "Is that really you?"

"Sure it is me," said the Forbidden pilot, smiling weakly but very friendly, "You thought it was someone else? What, is my left eye showing?"

"No… but…" Shani swallowed lightly when he saw Stellar's eyes dwelling up with tears. Her lips stretched into a threatening frown as though she was about to cry. Whether it was out of joy or sadness, Shani could not tell anymore. Although living up there in the colonies with Lunamaria, Shinn, and Meyrin, the ZAFT Lieutenant still could not handle women well. In an unbelievable turn of events, Stellar was not able to control her emotions any longer and tackled Shani just like how she took down Crot. "Shani!"

"Aaugh," cursed the green haired Extended as he fell onto his back. Luckily his laptop was in tact because he placed it at the side, but even so it was on a verge of being destroyed if Stellar moved her knee above it. "That hurt…"

"I missed you so much!" she exclaimed, hugging him close so he wouldn't be able to move. In fact, Shani was now beginning to have a hard time breathing due to her forceful grip. "I was afraid that you would never come back to me! It's been so long!"

"There's no way that we won't be able to see another again, Stellar… cough…" said Shani, grinning a little seeing his long time friend so delighted for once. Stellar frequently smiled, but she didn't smile from her heart other than to Crot or Shani. "Remember, I told you that I'll come and visit you during my vacation and holidays, right? Come on, I won't just abandon you because I got a new job that has not only good pay but also great friends. Stellar, you and Crot are like… my family, in a way."

"Honto-desuka (Really)?"

"I wouldn't lie,"

"Tsh… I haven't seen you in around two weeks and it sounds like you've gone insane…" commented Crot, "You almost sound human for once… with these new sparks flaring that never seemed to glitter before."

"You are human, too, you know. As for that new emotion thing… I suppose your lifestyle changes who you are by the slightest. Even then, despite its significance, it does something to you. Rodnia laboratory sheltered us too much; it almost made us believe life was plain and easy, or perhaps simple where there was only one goal in our lives. Kind of makes everything empty and meaningless doesn't it?"

"… You've gotten too serious, Shani…"

"You're so cool, Shani!" complimented Stellar, giving an extra squeeze in her embrace with the green haired Extended, in which sucked the life out of him. In a natural reaction, the Forbidden pilot gasped and choked when he could no longer breathe. He had to admit that Stellar was strong, but at the same time, he realized that living as a ZAFT Lieutenant surely was much easier than to live as an Extended.

In short, he was beginning to be accustomed to smooth, easy life. Was that considered weakness? Perhaps it was as soon as he felt that his bones were broken. Maybe he exaggerated a little, but that didn't mean that they didn't hurt.

"Thanks, Stellar," coughed Shani, slowly getting back up to prevent his friends and himself to suffer any more humiliation than necessary. Even so, Stellar still had her arms around him, not ever wanting to let go until she wanted to. "Thank you for picking me up. I really appreciate it."

Crot merely snickered before he turned away. "I didn't do it for you, Shani," the orange haired Extended said, "I had to come because I am the only one who knows how to drive and shit. Besides, Stellar really wanted to come… and so I came with her, and… yeah…"

Something made Shani a bit curious, but of course Crot failed to find out what it was until Shani spoke up. "You drive? Really, Crot? You?"

That got the Raider pilot enraged. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? You doubt my driving skills?"

"Yes, but that's not the point," the Forbidden pilot stated, "Whose car is it? Was it Zala's? Did you do anything to it?"

"You accuse me to be some kind of punk that cannot be satisfied until tasting the sweet nectar of vengeance?"

Shani and Stellar were, undoubtedly, impressed with the amount of vocabulary that Crot showed a second ago. None of them expected such words could be produced from those lips. Needless to say, they didn't have high hopes whatsoever. As soon as the Raider pilot noticed their blank stares of pure astonishment, which got him fairly mad, Crot began to stare back with annoyance dripping from his emotions.

"Fine, fine," said Shani, a little exasperated to continue this discussion, "I'll just take my luggage and we'll leave for home, okay?" He smiled when his friends reached a consensus. At last, he could leave this blasted spaceport and sleep. Somehow, Shani just could not sleep on a public transportation vehicle despite how tired he was. The only exception would be when he fainted, or perhaps when he suffered from extreme fatigue –which was abnormally common when he was still a pilot of a mobile suit.

However, just when he was about to move he was stopped by the only girl in their group of three. "Shani…" whispered Stellar, "Can you wait for a second?"

Seeing no harm in stopping for a minute, Shani agreed happily. "Sure, Stellar. What is it?"

Without warning, Stellar stole Shani's first kiss, penetrating his 'oral virginity'. No way in hell did Shani expect something this bold from the Gaia pilot.

From another location nearby –clearly hidden, of course, and actually, they were concealing themselves behind a wall- Lunamaria, Shinn, and Meyrin saw just about everything. Obviously, they did not blow their cover, but at the same time all three Coordinators gasped with pure stun. Just as Shinn was about to say something, he noticed that Lunamaria fainted from an untold amount of raw jealousy.

"Luna!" Shinn exclaimed, voice blooming with worry, "Lunamaria, you okay? Oh, dear God! Get up, lady! Wake up, Luna!

"She really lost it… Meyrin…"

This was more serious than anticipated; that was for sure.

**_AN: Another chapter done. One step closer for the love triangle to explode wildly. Thank you so much for waiting… three months for this chapter? I am so sorry. I have been a busy person, and writing three fics hasn't been the smartest thing that I've done in my life._**

**_I am somewhat anxious myself to see how the love is going to grow now… maybe a bit more reading would do me some good than harm._**

_**I am grateful for your support. I hope to write again soon.**_


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